An ambulance wasn't called for an Aboriginal woman struggling to speak and moaning on a train despite police guidelines saying it should have been, an inquest has been told.
Tanya Day, 55, died from a brain haemorrhage suffered in police custody in December 2017 after being taken off a train at Castlemaine because she was intoxicated.
Tanya Day died in December 2017 after being arrested for public drunkenness
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Officers called to the train station after being told she was inebriated and unruly decided an ambulance wasn't needed.
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"As each minute ticked by her responses were getting better," Senior Constable Stephen Thomas told the inquiry in Melbourne on Wednesday.
This was despite police guidelines requiring people giving unintelligible responses and slurred speech to be taken to hospital or receive urgent medical help.
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Tanya Day inquest: 'Systemic racism' played part in Aboriginal woman's custody death
He also did not consider taking her to the hospital directly, though it was minutes away.
Sen Const Thomas ideally wanted to call someone who knew Ms Day to come and get her and said taking her to the police cells was a last resort.
"I was worried I'd be liable for something that happened if I left her there," he said.
Leaving her at the train station with V/Line staff was another option but he didn't feel it was appropriate.
Sen Const Thomas revealed to the coroner he did not formally caution Ms Day that she was under arrest and said it was "the most low key arrest I've ever done".
"I didn't formally say, 'you are now under arrest', I just expressed I wanted her to come with me and I guess by compelling her to come with me that's a form of arrest," he said.
