Agenda item

The Chief of Staff, OPCC, A Petty presented the report relating to the Independent Custody Visitor Annual Report 2023/24 (for copy see file of minutes).

Councillor D Nicholls noted the report referred to some custody visitors not being able to see detainees and asked what this referred to.  He asked if there was any comparison to other Forces so that the Panel could then look at issues such as frequency of visits in that wider context.  He added the new facilities at the Investigative Hub would help improve standards.  The Chief of Staff, OPCC, A Petty noted that if a person in custody was drug or alcohol intoxicated, that could present a safety issue where a custody visitor may not be able to view that person.  She added that the role was voluntary and that it was always an area where more volunteers would be welcomed.  She added that while there were no national statistics in this area, there was recent discussions around a national scheme where data could be uploaded to help in terms of benchmarking and targeting of resources.  Councillor D Nicholls noted he was pleased to take assurance from the Independent Custody Visitors’ Annual Report.

N Hallam asked as regards the data on page eight of the Annual Report which stated the number of visits to each custody suite, and asked if additional data was recorded in terms of the day of the week and time of day, as this may differ from weekdays and weekends, during the day and during the night.  The Chief of Staff, OPCC, A Petty noted that data could be pulled in for future reports.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.