A POLICE chief has pledged training will be “enhanced” in response to the death of a father-of-three who was unlawfully restrained at a holiday park.

Paul Reynolds, 38, was held in a prone position for about 11 minutes with a knee to his back after an initial neck hold, an inquest at Suffolk Coroner’s Court recorded.

He died after the “excessive” restraint at a Pontins holiday park in Lowestoft in February 2017.

In separate Prevention of Future Deaths reports, area coroner Jaqueline Devonish raised concerns with Suffolk Police and Britannia Hotels, the owners of Pontins.

She said the holiday park allowed “unbadged” staff to participate in restraint and criticised staff for failing to “seriously consider” the potential for Mr Reynolds to struggle for air while restrained.

“At no point during the prone restraint was Mr Reynolds placed in the recovery position,” she said.

The coroner also hit out at a lack of clarity over who should take charge of such an incident.

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In a report to Suffolk Police, the coroner said: “Officers appeared to be under the impression pain or pressure testing to determine whether a person was unconscious or simply asleep was an assault rather than being justifiable in certain circumstances.”

She also said officers failed to control the scene by clearing the area and switching off the music, which would have improved their ability to assess Mr Reynolds’ condition.

In response, Chief Constable Steve Jupp said it was clear from the inquest his officers did not assess Mr Reynolds “robustly” when they arrived at the scene.

He said: “We acknowledge that their evidence identified confusion surrounding their police powers.

“The Constabulary has enhanced its training delivery and supporting guidance to clarify the importance of the initial assessment and the differences between proportionate and necessary checks of health and the application of force.”

Mr Jupp said he accepted concerns surrounding the control of the scene by officers.

He added: “We also recognise that while the first officer attending may have had difficulty in co-ordinating the various aspects presented, the arrival of other officers gave sufficient opportunity for the scene to be controlled.”