Wiltshire PCC praises custody visiting scheme following national recognition award

The Wiltshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has been recognised nationally for the high quality of its independent custody visiting scheme under the Independent Custody Visiting Association’s (ICVA) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF).

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson has welcomed the award after more resources have been put into the scheme which sees trained volunteers from the local community make regular unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the rights, entitlements, wellbeing and dignity of the detainees held there.

Their findings are reported to the Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Authorities who hold Chief Constables to account. 

Mr Wilkinson said: “This award is a testament to the outcomes my office has worked hard to deliver to get the ICV scheme operating to a high standard.

“ICV schemes are an essential tool for ensuring transparency in custody, which is an area of policing that is often hidden. My office will continue to invest in these kinds of schemes to hold these operational areas of policing to account.”

Wiltshire OPCC was presented with the code compliant quality assurance award by ICVA on Wednesday 29 November, at a ceremony in Birmingham.  

Sherry Ralph, Chief Executive at ICVA said: “The quality assurance framework represents a significant amount of additional work to ensure that independent custody visiting is regularly reviewed, improvements are made where they are needed and excellent practice is shared. I congratulate schemes on their accomplishments and thank them for their commitment."

Published Wednesday 6 December 2023