Last year 24 people died while in the hands of the police, a rise of 11 on in 2021, according to new figures from campaign group Control Alt Delete.

The Control Alt Delete total is four up on figures published earlier this week by the public prosecution department in its annual report and is based on combining three separate sources. According to police figures, 21 people died while being arrested or while in custody last year.

Jair Schalkwijk, project leader at CAD, said the rise in police-related deaths was a ‘shock’.

‘There is no logical reason for the increase,’ he told broadcaster NOS. ‘The taser was introduced in 2022 to reduce injuries, the police say. But in fact more shots were fired in 2022 than in 2021.’

A study into police deaths in the period 2016 to 2020 by Bureau Beke found that around 10 people die every year in incidents involving the police. This figure also includes people who die in a cell, or because they have been drinking or taking drugs and 80% have psychiatric problems.

The police need to be better equipped to deal with these issues, Schalkwijk told the broadcaster.

Every death or serious injury is investigated by the national police force, and 42 such investigations were launched last year.

The prosecution department said two people were shot dead by police last year, the same as in 2021.