
Independent Custody Visitors
The decision was made on the 17 March 2020 for all ICV visits to be suspended until further notice, due to the Coronavirus guidance released by Government. The scheme is currently completing virtual calls to custody.
The Police and Crime Commissioner has a statutory duty to maintain an Independent Custody Visiting Scheme for Bedfordshire. Independent custody visiting is a well established system whereby volunteers attend police stations to check on the treatment of detainees, the conditions in which they are held and that their rights and entitlements are being observed. The scheme offers protection and confidentiality to detainees and the police and provides reassurance to the wider community.
What is Independent Custody Visiting?
Under the Police Reform Act 2002, as amended by the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act 2011, the Local Policing Body has a statutory duty to establish and maintain an Independent Custody Visiting Scheme, which involves volunteer members of the public visiting police stations to check and report on the treatment of detainees, the conditions in which they are held and that their rights and entitlements are being observed. The scheme offers protection and confidentiality to detainees, the police and provides reassurance to the wider community.
Day-to-day management of the Scheme is undertaken by a Scheme Administrator within the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office.
Day-to-day management of the Scheme is undertaken by a Scheme Administrator within the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office.
What is the purpose of Independent Custody Visiting?
The purpose of Independent Custody Visiting is to provide assurance that detainees in Bedfordshire Police Custody are:
1. Treated fairly and in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and associated codes of practice
2. That the conditions detainees are kept in are clean and safe and any matters of concern are recorded and dealt with effectively;
3. That the rights and entitlements of detainees in Bedfordshire Police Custody are observed and adhered to.
2. That the conditions detainees are kept in are clean and safe and any matters of concern are recorded and dealt with effectively;
3. That the rights and entitlements of detainees in Bedfordshire Police Custody are observed and adhered to.