30 Jun 2016

Solomons police condemn speculation on death in custody

12:19 pm on 30 June 2016

The Solomon Islands Police have condemned speculation on social media about the death of a young man in custody.

240414. Photo RNZ. Solomon Islands. Central Police Station. Honiara, police,

The RSIPF's central watch house where the young man is understood to have died in a police cell on Monday after being arrested over the weekend. Photo: RNZ

A range of information - about the time of death, post-mortem results and speculation about police brutality - has been circulating in social media.

But the police commissioner, Frank Prendergast, has called for people to refrain from posting unsubstantiated information.

Mr Prendergast said a full independent investigation into the death of the man in custody would be carried out, alongside the police's own multi-department investigation.

He confirmed that the time of death was on Monday this week and not Friday evening last week as has been reported in some quarters.

The commissioner said the result of an independent post mortem was yet to be released pending lab results from samples sent to Australia for analysis.

Once the police investigation was completed, the commissioner said the matter would be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions so that an independent probe could be conducted.