The design of police custody facilities is influenced by legislation and a number of key documents. It is informed by the Human Rights Act 1998 and its references to the European Convention on Human Rights, and also by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Basic standards and criteria for facilities are outlined in the Home Office Police Custody Buildings Design Guide and its associated best practice document. The information provided by these resources does not, however, encompass all aspects of custody design. Additionally, not all aspects of the guidance are prescriptive, so there are areas where forcesmust determine what approach is most suitable for them. This inspection found scope for improvement in both how forces determined the best approach to take and how they shared best practice.
Number | Recommendation |
|---|---|
1 | That forces combine to develop a clear strategy for custody management that will direct future design and development of custody facilities, taking account of all available information on police custody practice. |
2 | That forces develop a robust and sustainable common model to help calculate cell requirements and to inform business cases for refurbishing or building new custody facilities. To support such a model, forces will also need to establish clear policies on cell sharing. |
3 | That forces review their custody facilities with regard to prisoners’ welfare and rights, and consult appropriate bodies to determine what facilities should be provided. |
4 | That forces review their custody facilities with reference to prisoner privacy, taking account of staff and prisoner safety, to determine how custody suite functions, including cells and charge desks, should be designed. |
5 | That forces consider staff welfare requirements in the design of custody facilities, and take all steps to ensure that these are not compromised by future custody planning. |