A volunteer programme to ensure Leicestershire Police treats detained people fairly and correctly has been commended for its own quality standards.
The Independent Custody Visiting Scheme has more than 30 volunteers whose role it is to conduct spot checks on three police custody suites across the city. They speak with detainees about their treatment and can raise issues with detention officers.
Leicestershire’s programme has been in existence since 1984, almost 20 years before custody visits became a statutory requirement. It is renowned as one of the best schemes in the country after being awarded the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation in 2012.
And this month (December) Leicestershire has seen its accreditation renewed after being assessed again. It means the programme’s management and involvement of its volunteers and the effectiveness of their work has been deemed to be of a high standard.
The scheme falls under the responsibility of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Sir Clive Loader had the option of commissioning the service out when he came into office but opted to keep it in house.
Today, he said he was delighted the visiting scheme had been recognised nationally.
“We are fortunate to have a team of dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers from across our communities who perform this extremely valuable role,” he said.
“That they do this job in their own time, for little fanfare and unpaid, demonstrates their commitment to putting something back into the communities they serve. It is right and proper that the police are held to account for the way they treat people who are detained and I am delighted that the way we do this in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, is being seen as the gold standard.”
Independent Custody Visitors undertake visits in pairs to custody suites at Beaumont Leys, Euston Street and Keyham Lane. As well as speaking with detainees they also examine the conditions of cells and the custody suite as a whole.
They bring any issues arising to the attention of the detention officer and then complete a reporting sheet which is sent to the force and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
To find out more about the scheme and its volunteers visit http://www.leics.pcc.police.uk/Take-Part/Independent-Custody-Visitors/Independent-Custody-Visitors.aspx
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Posted on Monday 9th May 2016