Independent Custody Visits
The Independent Custody Visiting Scheme provides an independent check on people held in police custody and the conditions in which they are kept. The visitors are drawn from the local community and during 2008/09 monitored the custody units at Kidderminster, Leominster, Redditch, Shrewsbury, Telford (Malinsgate) and Worcester Police Stations by visiting them at least once a week and reporting their findings back to the Police Authority.
The visitors are given immediate access to custody units and are able to see any detainee unless there are special circumstances, for example because they are in interview, asleep or the escorting officer advises for safety reasons, particularly where a detainee has been especially violent.
315 visits were made during the year and in total 1,251 people were in custody at the time of the visits. 850 detainees were available to be visited of which 697 (82%) detainees consented to a visit. This was an increase on the previous year where 542 agreed to a visit (78%).
No major problems emerged from the visits and the main comments related to medical issues, food, provision of legal advice, language issues, drinks and keeping relatives informed. Where issues were raised these were either rectified as soon as possible by the custody officers, dealt with in correspondence with the Divisional Police Liaison Officer or discussed at the Independent Custody Visiting Panel meetings.
During the year all visits made by the Herefordshire Panel were to the Leominster Custody Unit, pending the opening of the refurbished Hereford Custody Unit which was due in July 2009.
Membership to this voluntary scheme is open to people over the age of 18 who live or work in the area and application forms are available from the Police Authority (PO Box 487, Shrewsbury, SY2 6WB - www.westmerciapoliceauthority.gov.uk). Training is provided and new entrants to the scheme receive the support of experienced visitors when initially undertaking the role.
All visitors are given the opportunity of refresher training and two induction courses were arranged during the year for new visitors. In addition cultural awareness and diversity training was provided to scheme members and seminars were held in Birmingham and Warwickshire. The Annual Conference of the National Association of Custody Visiting was held in November 2008 at Stratford upon Avon and members from each of the four Area Panels (Herefordshire, Kidderminster/Redditch, Shropshire and Worcester) were present.
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