Sussex Police: Children held in police cells overnight due to lack of sites

Sussex Police temporary Assistant Chief Constable Howard Hodges said it was "a challenge" to track down secure accommodation

Children charged with a crime in Sussex have been held in police cells overnight due to a lack of local authority sites, a meeting heard.

Sussex Police temporary Assistant Chief Constable Howard Hodges said the scenario was "relatively rare".

Police have a responsibility to transfer children denied bail into the care of the local authority.

The issue was discussed during Sussex Police's performance and accountability meeting on Friday.

There are exceptional circumstances in which children can be held in a cell.

These include when the child is deemed to pose a significant risk of harm to the public between being charged and appearing in court and if no local authority accommodation is available.

Accommodation 'a challenge'

On average Sussex Police handles three cases per month where a child is kept in a police cell overnight.

Mr Hodges says it was "a challenge" to track down secure accommodation in Sussex.

He said: "In reality, for the majority of young people in these circumstances, where we are seeking secure accommodation from the local authority, it isn't readily available and hence young people spend that time in the cells overnight prior to attending court."

The Home Office is carrying out a countrywide review of the situation.

Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said she was happy to put pressure on local authorities to "encourage" them to provide what was needed.

She described the situation as being "another clear example of where police fill a gap that isn't provided by somebody else."

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