West Mercia Police criticised over treatment of young people in custody

A unannounced inspection carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary found there were "weaknesses in the management of police custody" in both West Mercia and Warwickshire.

Criticisms contained in the report included concerns over the use of emergency restraint, a failure to ensure children were not held overnight, and a 14 year old boy self harming within 15 minutes of being placed in the cell - despite his disclosure of "very recent self harm".

The inspectors found that in the past 12 months 36 children had been held in cells overnight.

The inspection was carried out by Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, and Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary, who said they were concerned at a number of findings.

They said that the lack of dedicated custody inspectors to line-manage custody sergeants "created a void in accountability and oversight", and that "existing data was not used to analyse custody records, use of force, or complaints to improve organisational policies and individual actions".

Custody staff also reported "significant difficulties in obtaining appropriate adults for support for both children and vulnerable adults", while the report found that the quality of risk assessments was variable, "particularly in West Mercia".

The report also concluded there was "a disproportionate use of anti-rip clothing and specific concern about the use of the emergency restraint belt".

The inspectors visited a number of custody suites to compile the report, including, Telford, and Shrewsbury.

Despite the criticisms the force was praised for providing "an adequate level of care" and because "healthcare was good, with practitioners available in the suites over 24 hours".

The report also concluded that "nearly all those detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act were taken to an NHS place of safety in accord with national policy", while there were "regular strategic meetings" involving senior managers representing NHS, ambulance services, local authorities, and the police, to resolve emerging problems.

West Mercia and Warwickshire police forces agreed to run their custody suites as one operation in 2013.

The inspectors said that at the time of the visit the alliance was "bedding in".

Mr Hardwick said: "Overall, the creation of the custody alliance between West Mercia and Warwickshire was a sensible strategy. However, at the time of this inspection, these new arrangements were still bedding in.

"There were significant gaps in the management structure and despite adequate care overall, weak oversight and partnerships had led to poor management of some vulnerable detainees, in some cases including children, and the much too regular use of inappropriate and disproportionate restraint techniques.

"Healthcare and arrangements for detainees with severe mental health problems were generally much better and provided a model that other aspects of the custody arrangements could follow."

Sophie Flynn, on behalf of West Mercia Police, said they took the findings seriously and had acted to resolve many of the issues raised.

She said: "All custody officers have gone through additional training and we now have four dedicated custody inspectors, with a Chief Inspector dedicated to overseeing these inspectors.

"A range of quality assurance measures have been put in place to better manage the custody process and ensure proper risk assessment. All cases where use of additional restraint measures have been deemed necessary are now reviewed as a matter of course and subject to scrutiny.

"We are working with local authorities, as well as looking at additional options, to ensure better provision of the right level of care and services for children and vulnerable adults.

"In the longer term we are planning to enhance facilities at our custody suites in line with the recommendations."

The report comes as the Home Secretary Theresa May announced £15 million of funding to introduce a number of new measures relating to custody.

They include plans to end people with mental health issues being detained in police cells, using "health-based places of safety" instead.

Mrs May's proposals also include amending legislation so that children and young people aged under 18 are not taken to police cells if detained under Sections 135 or 136 of the mental health act.