The Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Humberside has been recognised nationally for the exceptional quality of its independent custody visiting scheme.
Under this scheme, trained volunteers from the local community (Independent Custody Visitors or ICVs), managed by our office make regular unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the rights, entitlements, wellbeing and dignity of the detainees held there. Their findings are reported to the Police and Crime Commissioner who holds the Chief Constable to account for force performance.
The Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) – the national membership organisation that supports, leads and represents these schemes – has developed a quality assurance framework to assess how well schemes comply with the code of practice that governs custody visiting.
This is the second year that schemes have been assessed under the framework and have been able to gain quality assurance awards to recognise the value of their work. The Humberside scheme was presented with a Platinum quality assurance award by ICVA on Wednesday 29 November, at a ceremony in Birmingham.
Welcoming the award, Jonathan Evison, Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside said: “Independent Custody Visitors play a crucial role in the assurance of Humberside Police’s custody facilities. Through their visits to custody suites in our region, our volunteers are helping to develop future policies and improve the service Humberside Police provide to those at a time where they may be vulnerable. I am very proud of the hard work our office and our volunteers undertake and I am thankful for their efforts. This award is a testament to years of dedication to the ICV scheme and shows our commitment to help serve our communities in all aspects of policing.”
Dame Anne Owers, Chair of ICVA, said: “Independent Custody Visiting schemes ensure that the public have oversight of a high pressure and often hidden area of policing. These awards demonstrate how local schemes use volunteer feedback to make change and ensure that police custody is safe and dignified for all.”
Sherry Ralph, Chief Executive at ICVA said: “The quality assurance framework represents a significant amount of additional work to ensure that independent custody visiting is regularly reviewed, improvements are made where they are needed and excellent practice is shared. I congratulate Humberside on their accomplishment and thank them for their commitment.”