Prisoners left naked in cells, not enough staff and too many children locked up: Inspectors issue damning verdict on GMP custody services
Greater Manchester Police's custody services require urgent improvement, say government inspectors. A report reveals there are not enough staff to make sure prisoners are safe, inmates are sometimes left naked in cells, children are being detained unnecessarily and the monitoring of the use of force by officers is not good enough.
Five additonal temporary inspectors have been added and ten extra custody sergeants will be deployed to the team to help implement improvements. ACC Colin McFarlane said: “It is my utmost priority to quickly address these issues." GMP's priority to make more arrests means the force is missing opportunities to consider diverting people away from custody when it is appropriate to do so. Alternatives to arrest for children or those who are vulnerable aren’t always considered.
“The force’s strategic priority to tackle crime and increase arrests has led to an increase in demand for custody services as the number of detainees rises. But these custody services are not good enough.
"There is some good support for frontline officers when dealing with incidents involving people with potential mental ill health. Officers spoke highly of the advice and support offered by the mental health professionals in the force control room and those in the mental health response cars that attend incidents to help officers decide how to deal with people in mental health crisis.
On occasions, custody officers authorised detention without all the necessary information and where, in the inspection team's view, detention should have been refused. But officers give detainees information on their rights and entitlements appropriately, together with good explanations of what they mean.
"Work has already started on addressing recording use of force, with increased oversight and daily audits taking place to identify where force has been used. Any use of force giving rise for concern are subject to a deeper review via site CCTV analysis. Issues and learning opportunities are now captured and dealt with swiftly with individuals, site Inspectors and where appropriate GMP’s Professional Standards Branch and Operational Training.
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