Most people held in police custody in Sussex were
treated decently, but the force needed to make some improvements,
said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons, and Dru Sharpling,
HM Inspector of Constabulary. Today they published the report of
an unannounced inspection.
The inspection was part of a national programme of joint
inspections of police custody which monitor the treatment of and
conditions for detainees and aim to prevent ill-treatment. It was
the second inspection of Sussex police custody cells.
The first inspection was in 2011, when inspectors reported mostly
positively, though there were concerns related to the number of
ligature points in cells and the use of police custody as a
‘place of safety’ under the Mental Health Act. On this more
recent inspection, inspectors visited the custody suites at
Brighton, Chichester, Crawley,
Eastbourne, Hastings and Worthing. They looked at
strategy, treatment and conditions, individual rights and health
care.
Inspectors were pleased to find that:
- most detainees continued to be treated with respect and
consideration and the condition of most cells was still adequate;
- there was a clear governance structure for custody and
overall responsibility was held at a sufficiently senior
level;
- the force was committed to preventing the criminalisation of
children and the diversion of children away from custody was a
priority;
- initial risk assessments when a detainee was booked in to
custody were consistently good; and
- mental health services in the custody suites and street
triage were provided by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
and the support offered was good.
However, inspectors were concerned to find that:
- no progress had been made in relation to mitigating or
eliminating the risks previously identified in relation to
potential ligature points, which placed detainees and the force
at significant risk. Soon after inspectors reported present
concerns the force quickly provided a report on how they intended
to address the outstanding problems;
- in spite of collaborative work between the force and
partners, the number of detainees held under section 136 of the
Mental Health Act as a place of safety had increased in the
recent six-month period;
- the collation and extraction of data from force systems were
inadequate, particularly in relation to the use of force, leading
to an inability to monitor key areas of activity; and
- there were some weaknesses in the way that the Police and
Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the codes of practice were
being applied, such as an over-reliance of conducting reviews
remotely by telephone.
Peter Clarke and Dru Sharpling said:
“Despite some mixed findings, this was still a relatively
positive inspection. Importantly, most detainees held in police
custody in Sussex continued to be treated decently. We
look forward to seeing that the work required to achieve the
necessary improvements is carried out.”
Notes to editors:
1. A copy of the full
report can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website
from 28 March 2017 at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons
2. HM Inspectorate of
Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of
detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote
positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is an independent
inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest, and
rigorously examines the efficiency and effectiveness of police
forces to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice
and raise confidence. HMIC inspects all 43 police forces
in England and Wales.
4. Custody suites are
occupied by those suspected of committing crime, and may also be
used to temporarily accommodate people in need of medical
attention or intervention under Section 136 of the Mental Health
Act 1983. This enables a police officer to remove, from a public
place, someone who they believe to be suffering from a mental
disorder and in need of immediate care and control, and take them
to a place of safety – for example, a health or social care
facility, or the home of a relative or friend. In
exceptional circumstances (for example if the person’s behaviour
would pose an unmanageably high risk to others), the place of
safety may be police custody. Section 136 also states that the
purpose of detention is to enable the person to be assessed by a
doctor and an approved mental health professional (for example a
specially trained social worker or nurse), and for the making of
any necessary arrangements for treatment or care.
5. This joint inspection
was carried out from 7-18 November 2016.
