Some progress but West Midlands Police custody services require further improvement
West Midlands Police has shown some progress in its custody services, but there are still several areas of concern, a new report has found.
In particular, oversight of the use of force in custody was not good enough and there was a lack of consistency in custody services.
Overall though, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that West Midlands Police has made improvements since their last inspection in 2017.
For example, governance structures were better, and inspectors found that senior leaders were actively involved in seeking to improve custody provision.
Frontline officers have a good understanding of vulnerability and there was some effective collaboration with other agencies to support children and vulnerable people to keep them away from the criminal justice system. Inspectors also found that healthcare for detainees was good.
However, the inspectorate highlighted four main areas of concern about the force’s custody services.
It found the force was not making sure safe and respectful custody services are consistently provided, with limited improvement since the previous inspection;
In addition, the force’s management of detainee risk was “not good good enough”.
“The force isn’t always assuring detainees’ safety and isn’t following authorised professional practice guidance in all areas,” said HMICFRS.
“[And] The governance and oversight of the use of force in custody isn’t good enough. There isn’t enough accurate information or quality assurance of incidents to support effective scrutiny.”
Inspectors found there were also several areas where the force was not consistently meeting the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its codes of practice.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said: “West Midlands Police has shown some improvement in its custody services since our last inspection.
“Frontline officers have a good understanding of vulnerability and consider this when deciding whether an arrest is appropriate, and custody staff treat detainees with respect and do their best to meet individual needs.
“However, progress has been limited and there are still several areas of concern, including West Midlands Police’s oversight of the use of force in custody and the lack of consistency in the custody services it provides.
“We will be working closely with West Midlands Police and monitoring its progress against our new recommendations.”
West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster said: “I take the contents of this report extremely seriously and have, in particular, noted the four causes for concern relating to leadership, detainee risk, meeting legal requirements and guidance and use of force.
“It is essential that West Midlands Police has custody facilities that provide a secure and safe environment, for people properly detained by the police. That is necessary, to ensure trust and confidence in our policing service and the wider criminal justice system.
“I will be holding the chief constable to account, to ensure that immediate action is taken to remedy these causes for concern, as a matter of urgency.”