Inquiry after blade taken into Worcestershire cell
A watchdog has started an investigation into how a man held in West Mercia Police custody managed to get a blade into his cell.
A 48-year-old man was mistakenly arrested at 0625 BST on Wednesday for failing to attend a court summons.
He was moved to a cell in Worcester police station at about 1830 BST where he was given a meal.
Shortly after he was found with a cut to his arm. He is still in hospital but is not in a critical condition.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it would asses the level of medical care the man received and why the police database had not been updated to inform officers the court absence arrest warrant had been withdrawn.
IPCC commissioner Rebecca Marsh said: "Initial information our investigation has received indicates the man was supervised during his detention, but that when he was moved to a cell he was able to use a blade he had secreted on his person to harm himself.
"That such a dangerous item could have been brought into a cell by a prisoner is obviously concerning.
"Therefore we will be looking at what searches were conducted, as well as the risk assessments conducted and medical attention the man received."