Investigation launched into psych patient's death after police intervention

The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at government services like the police, is investigating the death of a 42-year-old man from Leeuwarden who died after the police intervened in a fight in a mental health institution on Wednesday, NOS reports.

The police responded to the GGZ clinic on Borniastraat in Leeuwarden on Wednesday evening. Patients were fighting with each other and a fire had broken out. Clinic staff called the police to help with a patient who was resisting their attempts to calm him down, according to the broadcaster.

Responding police officers managed to overpower the man and bring him under control. He became unwell a short time later and had to be resuscitated. The man was taken to hospital, where he died on Sunday.

The Rijksrecherche will investigate the cause of the man's death and the actions taken by the responding officers.