Coroner says officer CPR training is inadequate after a NSW man died during a mental health episode

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of a man restrained by police on a motorway has highlighted inadequate CPR training for officers. The coroner has made recommendations aimed at addressing systemic failures in police training.

Transcript

00:00The inquest into the death of Kevin Edwards heard the 39-year-old from Shell Harbour had

00:07a long history of mental health issues and substance abuse.

00:11It heard in 2021 he was found running shirtless on the M4 motorway in Sydney.

00:17He was taken into care and released, but his family told the court that his mental health

00:22continued to deteriorate and on May 10 in 2022 he was involuntarily admitted to the

00:30Shell Harbour Allura Mental Health Unit.

00:33He was discharged on May 30, something his family had serious concerns about.

00:38He was not discharged into their care, but into a friend's.

00:41He did return home, but the last time the family saw him was on June 4 in the afternoon.

00:48He was next sighted on CCTV on June 5, early in the morning, in an incident that mirrored

00:54what happened a year prior.

00:56He was found walking in the carriageway of the M5 motorway in Sydney near Moorbank.

01:03And it's one of the busiest roadways in Australia, even though it was early in the morning.

01:08The police were called and the court heard in evidence from the police that he was saying

01:13words to the effect of, I need help, I need an ambulance.

01:17They attempted to subdue him, they used OC spray and they used handcuffs, and as they

01:22manoeuvred him over the medium strip, they somehow dropped him.

01:26One officer thought he was unconscious, the others noticed shallow breathing.

01:31The decision was made by the officers not to perform CPR, so CPR was not performed on

01:37Mr Edwards for half an hour before the ambulance crews arrived.

01:42He was taken to Liverpool Hospital and he died half an hour later.

01:46So the inquest has been looking at how his treatment was in his discharge from the hospital

01:52unit and the police response.

01:54So the coroner has ultimately found that overall his discharge was acceptable, but she's made

02:01some critical recommendations to the NSW Police Force about their CPR training.

02:06The inquest heard that all of the officers involved, there were three, had extensive

02:11experience as officers, but they felt their CPR training was inadequate.

02:16So the coroner has suggested that they ensure they have annual training that involves a

02:21practical element, because the inquest heard that since COVID, that practical element of

02:26practising on a dummy had been removed because of the pandemic concerns.

02:32She's also recommended that they review all of their training implements and ensure it

02:36meets national standards.

02:38The NSW Police Force have taken on board the recommendations and are now considering them.

02:45Throughout the inquest, the coroner expressed her appreciation of the police and praised

02:49the family for their humility and bravery in dealing with the police.

02:55The family have issued a statement to the ABC in which they say the police should not

02:59be forced to deal with the mentally ill and they offered their respect to the police.

03:03But they still remain concerned about their son's discharge from the mental health unit

03:08and say they hold grave concerns for how the mentally ill are treated in NSW hospitals.

03:15For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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