T O R T U R E V o

People in police custody are more likely to die prematurely, especially from violent causes. This article presents data of a total of 28 police custody deaths in Mauritius from 1991 to April 2002. Twenty-two deaths were caused by suicide, three by natural causes, two by alcohol/drugs and one by unknown cause. Hanging was the most com-mon means of committing suicide. Items of cloth-ing were the most commonly used objects. Based on the findings, several measures for the preven-tion of deaths in police custody are discussed. Key words: police, custody deaths, autops