from The Tribune
27th March 2010

A family of a black man who lost his life in police custody are campaigning to make sure that no one else has to suffer the six years of hell that they have endured trying to hold a local police authority to account.

The family of Mikey Powell have worked with the coroner to produce a list of actions they believe should be circulated to police and health authorities throughout the West Midlands and the whole country so that any restraint during arrest is appropriate, and officers give proper regard to family members and friends who may hold vital information about a person’s medical condition.

They also want to ensure that people with potential mental health problems are taken to a hospital rather than a police station for the correct supervision.

Powell died after being detained by West Midlands Police on September 7 2003. He was 38, had three children and worked as a team leader in a local metal factory. At the time of his death, he was living with his mother in the Lozells area of Birmingham. He had been unwell and, while suffering a mental ill-health episode brought on by a bout of depression, he smashed a window at their home. His mother called the police for help, assuming they would take him to hospital.

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