About Avon and Somerset's scheme
Overview
Avon and Somerset Police Authority’s independent custody visiting scheme comprises nine visiting panels – one for each of the main custody suites in the force area.
Panels are made up of a number of custody visitors, one of whom acts as co-ordinator. The co-ordinator sets meeting dates, drafts visiting rotas and acts as the main point of contact with the Police Authority Office.
Each panel is required to carry out regular visits to designated custody suites, and visit some smaller facilities in outlying police stations. Visits are carried out by two custody visitors. These are volunteers from the local community who represent the varied backgrounds and sections of the communities within force area. Visitors must be over 18 and have no direct involvement in the criminal justice system.
The custody visitors arrive unannounced at their designated police station to carry out the visit. They speak to detainees and fill out a form noting any queries or concerns they may have. These are fed back to the Police Authority who record the information and resolve or respond to any issues raised.
Each panel has regular meetings that are supported by a Police Authority member and officer. This ensures everyone is up-to-date with any news and that any problems, issues or concerns are raised and addressed.
About the Panels
The custody visiting panels are located in Bath, Bridgwater, Broadbury Road (Bristol), Southmead (Bristol), Staple Hill (Bristol), Taunton, Trinity Road (Bristol), Weston-super-Mare and Yeovil.
Each panel visits their main custody suite (designated) at a frequency agreed between the Constabulary and Police Authority.
Several of the panels also visit smaller (non-designated) custody suites. We aim to ensure that each panel has enough custody visitors so that each custody suite is visited at the agreed frequency.
Police Authority role
The Police Authority oversees the running of the scheme through a range of methods.
An officer of the Police Authority Office is on hand to support each of the nine panels. Each custody visiting panel has a Police Authority Member link who attends the panel meeting to discuss any issues and acts as an additional link for custody visitors to the Police Authority.
The Police Authority has a working group which oversees the custody visiting scheme and an annual report on Custody visiting goes to the Police Authority annual meeting in June of each year.
Administration of the Custody Visiting Scheme is carried out by the Police Authority Office. The office also helps to co-ordinate panel meetings, organise training, recruitment and induction for visitors and produces a quarterly custody visiting newsletter Custody Contact.