West Midlands Police custody areas still need improvement - report

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the force had made some improvements since its last inspection in 2017.

Governance structures were better and inspectors found that senior leaders were actively involved in seeking to improve custody provision. There was effective collaboration with other agencies to support children and vulnerable people to keep them away from the criminal justice system. Inspectors also found healthcare for detainees was good.

But the inspectorate found several issues and highlighted four main causes of concern about the force’s custody services. They were that the leadership of custody isn't making sure safe and respectable custody services are consistently provided; the force isn't always assuring detainees' safety and isn't following authorised professional practice guidance in all areas; there are several areas where the force isn’t consistently meeting the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its codes of practice; and the governance and oversight of the use of force in custody isn’t good enough.

The inspector found there also isn’t enough accurate information or quality assurance of incidents to support effective scrutiny.

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.

“But 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 the force 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.”