Detainees restrained in custody for hours - report

A report on an inspection visit to police custody suites in Essex has been published

Essex Police has been warned about its use of restraints - such as handcuffs, spit hoods and leg restraints - in custody, with some detainees being held in them for hours.

An inspection was carried out on the force's custody suites by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission.

Their report said use of force was mostly proportionate, but police did not always "manage the incidents appropriately". In eight cases, including five with juveniles, "detainees remained in restraints between 50 minutes and almost three hours".

Essex Police said it was "not complacent" and had "a plan in place to address the matter raised".

The force has custody suites in Basildon, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Grays, Harlow and Southend.

Inspectors said there had been "some good progress in improving its custody services since our last inspection" in 2017, but "some of our concerns haven't been dealt with well enough".

They reviewed 26 incidents where force had been used, including some where there was "poor supervision".

It mentioned a prolonged use of restraint equipment, "poor justification provided for strip searches, and the use of techniques that in our view could have led to injury".

However, the report said: "We found that in most cases where force was used, it was proportionate to the risk or threat posed."

Mental health

The inspection also looked at mental health provision, where it found that detainees could spend too long in custody while waiting for an assessment.

"This is a poor outcome for these detainees," the report said.

More should also be done to improve the outcomes for children held overnight, said inspectors.

They said Essex Police and its partners were "strongly committed to keeping children out of custody".

"But when children are charged and detained overnight in custody, they aren't usually moved to more appropriate local authority accommodation."

Other findings included medicines for detainees were sometimes kept in the personnel fridge at suites, which "isn't good practice".

And inspectors also noted the force relied "heavily on sergeants from local frontline policing teams to cover the work of custody officers" due to demand.

Essex Police said: "Our officers deal with the most difficult and challenging situations every day with dedication, professionalism and care. The hard work of our officers has seen crime fall and at a steady and continued rate over the last few years, and there have been nearly 10,000 fewer crimes reported in the last year.

"But we are not complacent and we are working to make Essex even safer, for everyone. And we have a plan in place to address the matter raised in the HMICFRS report."