A total of 75 people died during, or after, being involved with the police in some way last year.

The Independent Police Complaint Commission’s Annual Report stated that 21 of those died in, or following, police custody and 26 died following other types of police contact such as deaths linked to sieges or evading arrest.

The figures also show that 23 people died in 17 road traffic accidents involving police cars on emergency calls or pursuing suspect vehicles. Five people were shot by police officers.

Of those who died during traffic accidents, 17 died during or shortly after a police pursuit and two of these people were pedestrians who died after being hit by a pursued vehicle. One died while a police vehicle was responding to an emergency call.

The road traffic accident figures are half that of the previous year, when there were 35 fatal road traffic accidents resulting in 36 fatalities.

Commenting on the figures, Nick Hardwick, Chair of the IPCC said: “Each death in these circumstances is dreadful – one is too many; every reduction is important.

“I am therefore very pleased that there has been a significant – and now sustained – fall in the number of deaths during or following police contact from 107 in 2004/05 to 75 in 2007/08. A greater proportion of those deaths that do occur are now investigated independently by the IPCC.

“This is the second consecutive year we have seen a fall in the number of deaths and is largely accounted for by a fall in the number of fatal road traffic incidents and fewer deaths in police custody. “

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