Two die in Victoria state police custody

VICTORIA Police has admitted its officers should have called an ambulance sooner for a man who died after crawling through cells and begging  for help.

VICTORIA Police has admitted its officers had "fallen short" and should have called an ambulance sooner for a 53-year-old Chinese man who died after crawling on his hands and knees through police cells, covered in blood and begging officers for help.

Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius conceded yesterday that Victorian police needed to "place a much higher focus" on duty of care to their prisoners after it emerged that two people -- the 53-year-old and a 23-year-old man -- had died in the past two weeks after being in police custody.

"All of the indicators and warning signs were there. In terms of my assessment of the situation, I think it is pretty clear an ambulance should have been called," Mr Cornelius said. "I have the sense that we could have done better."

Instead of calling the ambulance, police officers released the man from custody -- even noting on his bail forms that he had blood around his mouth -- before the 53-year-old collapsed on the pavement outside.

An ambulance was finally called by police but it took almost an hour to get to the police station, in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. The man died in hospital a day later on May 13.

Mr Cornelius confirmed one officer involved has been put on "other duties" while ethical standards, the homicide squad and the coroner investigate.

He said "deeply disturbing" CCTV footage showing the man crawling on all fours out of his cell at Dandenong Police station would be examined in the inquiry.

"I would have to say I would never want to see anything like that again in my policing career," he said.

The final hours of the 53-year-old -- who had been arrested for being drunk and earlier breaching an intervention order -- came to light yesterday when his interpreter came forward after hearing about the death of a 23-year-old man in police custody in Melbourne's western suburbs yesterday morning.

"I felt I needed to do something and this would help his family," the interpreter, known only as Jay Jay, told The Australian last night.

"I cannot believe this would happen in Australia. I am still in shock. I got there (to the police station) . . . he was already in so much pain and he was bleeding from the mouth. There was blood everywhere. He should have received medical assistance earlier."

The interpreter, who had worked with police in Dandenong for more than seven years, earlier told 3AW Radio her client begged police to take him to hospital and he had been "crawling on his hands and knees like a dog" through the police cells.

"I heard him yelling out, 'I can't take this anymore, I need to go to the hospital," she said.

The interpreter said police ignored his pleas and after the man's paperwork had been processed, he was told by an officer to get out of the station.

"He said: 'I can't move, I can't move.' And then two officers came and just grabbed him and threw him out," she said. "He yelled in pain, so much pain, he yelled as if someone was killing him."

Mr Cornelius said he had no reason to doubt the allegations made by the interpreter. He said there was no evidence of physical injuries consistent with being "mishandled" by police and the death was a result of a long-standing medical condition.

Mr Cornelius said he did not know the details of yesterday's death of the 23-year-old, but it was also being investigated.

It is understood police went to the home of the 23-year-old Meadow Heights man at 2am on Monday morning after he tried to place his hands in boiling water.

They arrested him under the Mental Health Act for his own safety but he died on the way to hospital after six police tried to restrain him and paramedics sedated him.