The Northern Ireland Policing Board has published the Custody Visitors Report covering the period 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020.
Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) are impartial volunteers from the community who make unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the rights, health and wellbeing, and conditions of detention of people being held in custody by inspecting facilities, speaking to detainees and checking custody records
In the reporting period, a total of 503 visits were completed with 482 detainees interviewed. 90% of visits to custody suites led to the suites being classed as satisfactory, an 8% improvement from the previous reporting year.
Chair of the Policing Board Doug Garrett welcomed the report and importance of the ICV’s work.
“The Board is committed to ensuring that the rights of those detained in custody are upheld. This report, and the work of our ICVs, provides Board assurance that police custody facilities meet human rights standards and identifies areas where there are issues or improvements to be made.
The Board very much values the work of the Custody Visiting Scheme which would not function without the dedication of our volunteers who provide an important contribution to the work of the Board by maintaining independent community oversight on police custody arrangements.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
- A copy of the Report can be found here: /publications-search
- Custody Visiting Scheme: Section 73 of the Police (NI) Act 2000 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to make, and keep under review, arrangements for designated places of detention to be visited by lay visitors. This statutory function is carried out by the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme. The Independent Custody Visiting Scheme is a volunteer scheme which is managed and administered by the Board. In the reporting period there were 24 ICVs covering 3 Custody Visiting Teams across Northern Ireland: the North West; the South East; and Tyrone Fermanagh.
- Custody Visits: The majority of detainees visited are held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) known as a PACE. However, ICVs are also required to visit the Serious Crime Suite (SCS) in Musgrave Police Station and visit detainees arrested under the Terrorism Act (2000) known as a TACT detainee. More information on the ICV scheme can be found here: www.nipolicingboard.org.uk/files/nipolicingboard/publications/custody-visiting-information-booklet.PDF
- Stay up to date with news about ICVs on the Board’s social media accounts: www.twitter.com/nipolicingboard and www.facebook.com/policingboard