‘A profoundly distressing milestone’: record number of deaths in custody and police operations in NSW

There were a record number of New South Wales deaths in custody and police operations last year, with almost a quarter of prisoner deaths recorded as self-harm, a coroner’s court report states. Of those who killed themselves, most were by hanging, despite millions being invested to remove ligature points . The state coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, released her annual deaths in custody and police operations report on Thursday. It found 66 deaths in custody and as a result of police operations were reported last year – 18 more people than in 2024. Thirty-nine of the deaths were in custody. Of those, 12 were First Nations people, which was a record high figure. Nine of the 39 deaths in custody were reported as intentional self-harm. All but one of them died by hanging, making up 22% of the total deaths. Last June, a Guardian Australia investigation revealed that nationally, at least 57 inmates had died in 19 separate prisons using hanging points that authorities knew about but failed to remove, often despite repeated suicides and stark warnings from coroners. In response to questions during that investigation , Corrective Services NSW said it had invested $16m to make prisons “safer” by removing ligature points. “This has included the removal of ligature points from almost 800 cells, as well as replacing cell doors, grills, beds, basins and tapware. An additional 145 cells are expected to be completed by July 2025,” they said. …