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The APCC has today published updated Guidance on Preventing Custody.

Kate Green, the APCC joint lead for Mental Health and Custody, and Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities for Great Manchester, said:

“The APCC’s updated Preventing Deaths in Custody guidance shows how Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Deputy Mayors are working together with police forces and other partners to prevent deaths, both in custody and on release.

“PCCs across England and Wales are working in partnership with local charities to deliver effective care for vulnerable detainees in custody and in delivering scrutiny, through Independent Custody Visiting schemes and scrutiny panels, to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place.

“Last year’s extremely concerning rise in the number of deaths during and following police custody shows that PCCs continued momentum in scrutinising police, holding chief constables to account is essential in helping to make custody a safer place. We are also working with local communities to provide effective oversight of custody procedures in order to reassure the people we serve.”

Lynn Emslie, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC), said:

“I welcome the APCC’s continued focus on preventing deaths in police custody and following release. Deaths that occur in police custody are largely preventable. This updated guidance recognises the vital role PCCs have in ensuring individuals held in custody are detained safely and supported appropriately upon release, through their role of holding to account and scrutiny. My Panel and I will continue to work in partnership with the APCC to ensure police forces take active steps and the necessary precautions to fulfil their duty to protect life.”

Kate Green 

APCC Joint Lead on Custody