South Wales Police’s custody services require further improvement
13 Oct 2023 02:02 PM
South Wales Police’s custody services require further improvement, having shown limited progress in some areas since its last inspection, a report has found.
Get the report : Report on an inspection visit to police custody suites in South Wales Police
Cael yr adroddiad : Adroddiad ar ymweliad arolygu ag ystafelloedd dalfa’r heddlu yn Heddlu De Cymru
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that South Wales Police has clear governance arrangements for the provision of custody.
However, HMICFRS and CQC said that oversight of these arrangements is not robust enough and that there has been little improvement since the force’s previous inspection.
The inspectorates have four main causes of concern, which are:
- senior leaders in the force don’t oversee custody services well enough to make sure that appropriate outcomes for detainees are achieved;
- the governance and oversight of the use of force in custody isn’t good enough. South Wales Police can’t show that when force is used in custody it is necessary, justified and proportionate;
- the force isn’t always meeting the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its codes of practice when carrying out reviews of detention. These are often of a poor standard and not conducted in the best interests of the detainee; and
- the approach to meeting detainee physical and mental health needs isn’t good enough. This includes the healthcare contract not allowing for healthcare practitioners to be embedded in all the custody suites, and that arrangements for referring detainees with suspected mental health conditions to mental health nurses aren’t appropriate.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:
“Anyone detained in custody should be kept safe from harm and treated fairly.
“South Wales Police has a clear governance arrangement for its provision of custody services. Frontline officers have a good understanding of vulnerability and consider this when deciding whether an arrest is appropriate, and custody staff are patient, reassuring and treat detainees with respect.
“However, in some areas progress has been limited and there remain several areas of concern. This includes the governance and oversight of the use of force in custody, as well as senior leaders failing to oversee custody services well enough to ensure that appropriate outcomes are achieved for detainees.
“The force responded positively to our inspection findings, quickly starting work to improve the service provided to detainees in custody.
“We will be working closely with South Wales Police and monitoring its progress against our new recommendations.”
Cael yr adroddiad : Adroddiad ar ymweliad arolygu ag ystafelloedd dalfa’r heddlu yn Heddlu De Cymru
Notes
- For further information, please contact the HMICFRS Press Office on 0300 071 6781 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk (e-mail address)