Some important safety concerns remain about how people are held in some London court cells, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an inspection of court custody facilities in North and East London.

The inspection was part of a series of inspections of court custody carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. At the time of inspection there were seven courts that had custody facilities in use: four magistrates’ courts and three crown courts. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) had contracted Serco to manage court custody and escort services on behalf of HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) in London.

Working relationships among those responsible for delivering court custody were reasonable. However, provision was severely hampered by ineffective delivery of the cleaning and maintenance contract for which none of the agencies was directly responsible. Some investment in the estate was needed to address the unacceptable conditions inspectors found for detainees and staff.

The diverse and generally well trained staff group was a strength. Custody staff dealt with detainees professionally and sensitively and on the whole paid good attention to their welfare during their time in court custody.

Inspectors were, however, concerned to find that:

• there was no effective formal assessment of detainees’ risks on arrival to ensure they were identified and managed. This criticism had previously been raised following a death in custody at Thames Magistrates’ Court in April 2015;
• observations and checks on some detainees, including the most vulnerable, were not always carried out as frequently as required;
• a number of factors, including delays in obtaining warrants, contributed to detainees spending too long in custody; and
• the routine application of handcuffs in secure court custody facilities was disproportionate.

Peter Clarke said:

“This was a mixed inspection. Despite the diversity of the well trained staff group, we have some significant concerns about safety, risk management, care for the most vulnerable detainees and the physical environment in court custody facilities across North and East London. We have made a number of recommendations to improve the safety and care of people detained in court custody.”

– ENDS –

Notes to editors:    

1. A copy of the full report, published on 24 January, can be found here.
2.  HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. This inspection was carried out from 5-14 September 2016.
4.  Please contact Jane Parsons in HM Inspectorate of Prisons press office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information.