There were a record number of New South Wales deaths in custody and police operations last year, with almost a quarter of prisoner deaths recorded as self-harm, a coroner’s court report states.

Of those who killed themselves, most were by hanging, despite millions being invested to remove ligature points .

The state coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, released her annual deaths in custody and police operations report on Thursday. It found 66 deaths in custody or as a result of police operations were reported last year – 18 more people than in 2024.

Thirty-nine of the deaths were in custody. Of those, 12 were First Nations people, a record high.

Nine of the 39 deaths in custody were reported as intentional self-harm.…