The aim of this inspection was to assess the treatment of and conditions for those detained in police custody centres located at Aikenhead Road and London Road in Glasgow.
This inspection was in addition to our regular programme of custody inspections and took place at the request of Police Scotland. While the principal aim of the inspection was to provide assurance about the delivery of custody at both centres, the secondary aim was to assist Police Scotland’s Criminal Justice Services Division in developing its own, internal audit processes. Our inspection of Aikenhead Road and London Road followed our usual format: we made unannounced visits to the two custody centres during which we assessed the physical environment, interviewed detainees, custody staff and other professionals working in the custody centres, and observed key processes. In addition, we reviewed a sample of custody records and did so jointly with a representative of the Criminal Justice Services Division. This allowed us to share and discuss our methodology with the division.
Our inspections of police custody contribute to the United Kingdom’s response to its international obligations under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). OPCAT requires that all places of detention are visited regularly by a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), an independent body or group of bodies which monitor the treatment of and conditions for detainees. HMICS is one of several bodies making up the NPM in the UK.
Number | Recommendation |
|---|---|
1 | Police Scotland should explore why 15 and 30-minute observations are not being used in some custody centres and provide further guidance and training to staff where necessary. |
2 | A detainee’s gender and dignity should be key considerations when allocating a member of staff to carry out constant observations. There should be a presumption, unless a risk assessment dictates otherwise, that constant observations should be carried out by someone of the same gender as the detainee. |
3 | Wherever possible, male and female detainees should be held in separate areas within the cell accommodation. |