West Mercia Police 'must urgently improve custody services'

Inspectorates found West Mercia Police had not implemented some recommendations made eight years ago

A police force is not providing good custody services and its care of detainees is poor, inspectorates say.

Food and drink were not proactively offered or provided by West Mercia Police and people's access to other care, such as washing, was "limited".

Information logs about officers' levels of force were "often inaccurate", the police inspectorate found.

The force, which polices Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, said improvements had already been made.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) stated Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and itself found the force had a "clear governance structure" for safe provision of custody services.

But they said, following a joint inspection in January, this did not always lead to good services being provided.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said some recommendations from a 2014 inspection had not been achieved, or only partly, leaving "some important areas" requiring urgent attention.

The inspectorates had five main causes of concern, including that governance and oversight of the use of force in custody were "limited".

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said checks would happen to ensure detainees' welfare needs were always met

Information on what force was used, by which officers, or why it was necessary was often incomplete or inaccurate, the police inspectorate added.

Detainees under observation because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs were often taken off checks "too quickly".

The force did not always meet legal requirements, including providing detainees with information about their rights and entitlements, and there was no clear direction over how custody officers carry out their roles.

The inspectorates' report said girls were not allocated a female member of staff to oversee their care as required by law.

But the force "responded quickly" to feedback during the inspection this year, taking action in several areas.

West Mercia Police's Assistant Chief Constable Richard Cooper said it welcomed and accepted the findings of the HMICFRS inspection.

He added the force knew there were still improvements to make and had already put in place an "urgent action plan" to deliver significant progress over the coming year.

John Campion, West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner, said he was committed to scrutinising the force to ensure the recommended improvements were delivered.

This included utilising the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme to check standards and detainees' health, safety and welfare needs were always met, he added.