No police officers will face criminal charges following the death of reggae star Smiley Culture during a police raid, an investigation has ruled.

David Emmanuel, 48, known as Smiley Culture, allegedly stabbed himself in the heart when four police officers searched his house in Warlingham, looking for drugs, in March.

The singer, who grew up in Brixton and went to Tulse Hill School, was then handcuffed and died moments later.

His death caused outrage in the community and prompted a large-scale march from Wandsworth to Scotland Yard.

But this week, an investigation by the Independent Police Complaint’s Commission (IPCC) concluded there was “no evidence” to support a criminal prosecution of the police officers involved, despite arguments from Mr Emmanuel’s family that he should have been handcuffed as soon as police officers entered his home.

The investigation also ruled there were “no individual failings” which “amounted to [professional] misconduct” in the case, but added that concerns surrounding the “operational planning and risk management” of the raid would be referred to the Metropolitan Police.

The musician’s nephew, Merlin Emmanuel, said he had anticipated the ruling, after parts of the report were leaked to a national newspaper in September, but added he was “angered” by the IPCC’s conclusions. He said: “I knew it was coming but when it comes it is a mixture of anger and resolve.

“It is incredulous how they come up with these decisions. We had very little faith given the history of the IPCC. The structure of the system is corrupt from the top down.”

Mr Emmanuel, who now helps to co-ordinate workshops with people who feel let down by the justice system, said his family was considering taking legal action once an inquest has been held.

He said: “We have not even received an apology for their failure to do what they were supposed to do. We found ourselves in a situation where something blatantly untoward had happened. At the very least, the police had a duty of care to keep Smiley safe in that house and they did not do that.

“If the police had done their jobs properly, Smiley would still be here.”