Staffordshire Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis has paid tribute to the volunteers who give up their time to monitor the county’s police custody units after the scheme was honoured with a prestigious national award.
The hard-working Independent Custody Visitors (ICV), whose work is overseen by the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office, were honoured at an awards ceremony in London.
Under the ICV scheme volunteers make unannounced visits to police custody to check on the rights, entitlements, well-being and dignity of detainees.
The Staffordshire ICVs were hailed by the Independent Custody Visiting Association as meeting the Gold criteria under its Quality Assurance scheme, meaning it “provides an excellent standard of custody visiting and volunteer management”.
Matthew Ellis said:
“Unannounced visits to police custody sites play a vital role in promoting public confidence in the system, in turn making Staffordshire a safer place.
“This award is great recognition for the work of our custody visitors as well as the team within my office who manage their work and I congratulate all concerned.
“In 2017/18 our volunteers visited more than 900 people detained in custody in Staffordshire but we always welcome new faces and I urge anyone interested in assisting this important part of the criminal justice system to come forward.”
ICVA chief executive Katie Kempen said:
“Independent custody visiting schemes such as that in Staffordshire ensure 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 changes and ensure police custody is safe and dignified for all.”
For more information on how to volunteer as a custody visitor, click here
