PCC response to HMICFRS inspection report on Custody Centre management in Avon and Somerset Police

As your new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, I would like to speak to the report published this week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The report details the findings of HMICFRS latest assessment of how Avon and Somerset Police manage their custody centres.

This recent report follows an inspection, in January, of Avon and Somerset Police’s three centres based in Patchway, Keynsham and Bridgwater.

I had the opportunity, through holding my first Governance and Scrutiny Board (GSB) on Wednesday, to ask the Chief Constable about the findings of the inspection and seek assurances on how the service plan to action the recommendations.

You can read the HMICFRS inspection report here and the Avon and Somerset Police initial response to the findings here. In addition, I will be publishing my formal response here on my website, within the legal 8-week timeframe.

There were some positive findings but also some key areas of concern that relate to children in custody, the management of those at risk of self-harm, the recording of ethnicity of detainees and allocation of female officers to oversee the care of girls in custody. 

Having questioned the Chief Constable about these findings, I am confident that Avon and Somerset Police are already taking steps to address the recommendations and the areas for improvement.

I would like to reassure you that as part of my new role, I am already considering and discussing with my team how I will strengthen and oversee the HMICFRS inspection recommendations as part of our governance processes.

My team will also be following up on how our Independent Custody Visitors (ICV) Scheme, a legal duty my office is responsible for delivering, can support the governance processes going forward.

The ICV scheme involves volunteer members of the public carrying out spot inspections on and writing reports about police custody. For more information about our ICVs and how to get involved visit our ICV webpage.