An emotionally charged event in Glasgow demands justice for Fife man who died while being detained by police
The family of a Fife man who died after being restrained by police say they are unwilling to wait years for justice.
Sheku Bayoh died after being forcibly held down by police following an incident in Kircaldy on 3 May.
However his family, speaking at the launch of the Justice for Sheku campaign in Glasgow, said an investigation into his death must be “swift, robust, fair and truthful.”
The event heard that lies and untruths had been peddled surrounding Bayoh’s arrest.
His death is being investigated by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).
Police initially said they were responding to reports of a man with a knife and that a police woman was injured during the struggle to arrest Bayoh.
No knife, however, was found at the scene and there have been conflicting reports as to how long it took for officers involved to give statements.
The Bayohs are unwilling to wait for years to get to the truth - Aamer Anwar
Sheku Bayoh's sister, Kadi Johnson, said she believed use of excess force was to blame for his death and that officers did not follow appropriate procedures.
She also said confidence in the police had been lost and that her family would not settle until they got justice.
She went on: "If it was in any other situation, whoever was involved would have been suspended without prejudice, and they would have been made to give a statement there and then.
“So why is it different for the police force, for them not to give a statement on the very day it happened, you know? Why?"
The campaign was launched alongside a conference organised by Scotland Against Criminalising Communities which was attended by families and campaigners who have lost loved ones through deaths in police custody elsewhere in the UK.
The conference heard calls for a Scotland-wide probe into deaths in custody.
It follows and announcement by the UK government that an independent review of such deaths in England and Wales will take place.
Aamer Anwar, solicitor for the Bayoh family, said: "The Bayohs are unwilling to wait for years to get to the truth.
"The Scottish government must have the courage to order a judicial inquiry into deaths in police custody in Scotland because the present system is not fit for purpose."
