Independent Custody Visiting
Recruitment for Independent Custody Visitors is currently closed. To find out about the latest recruitment news, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or check our vacancies page.
The independent custody visiting scheme (ICVS) is one of GMPA's volunteer schemes. It exists to make sure that custody facilities are closely monitored by people outside of the police force. To make sure the scheme is fully independent, we recruit members of the public.
Independent custody visitors make random visits in pairs to police stations to check on the welfare of people who are in police custody. During their trips to custody sites, they look at a number of issues from the treatment of prisoners and behaviour of custody staff to the effectiveness of custody processes. Volunteers report their findings to the police authority so that we can explore and resolve any potential problems.
The number of visits carried out by independent custody visitors is reported to the GMPA Volunteers Steering Sub-Committee. From the committee's web pages you can browse meetings and download the latest reports and visitor statistics.
You can find out more information about the role of the independent custody visitor and the guidelines they have to follow in the downloads section of this page. You can also view a checklist to get a feel for what an independent custody visitor looks for.
Why do we need independent custody visitors?
All police authorities have a legal duty to operate indepdent custody visting schemes and GMPA’s scheme was established in April 2002. Both local communities and the police benefit in the following ways:
- Regular inspections by independent visitors make sure that custody suite processes and policies are effective. It helps the police deliver a good service.
- Trust in the police service is improved when there is openness and duties are carried out professionally - the robust monitoring arrangements of our volunteers contribute to this professionalism.
Regional Custody Visitor Conference (North West)
Along with other police authorities, GMPA co-hosts a dedicated regional conference for independent custody visitors in the North West. This special event gives volunteers the chance to talk about important issues, share ideas, and compare experiences. The conference takes place each year and you can view the latest delegate programmes and reports in the downloads section on this page.
See also:
Read about human rights and equality training.
Download(s)
- The role of the independent custody visitor (PDF format, 88kb)
- Independent custody visting scheme guidelines (PDF format, 293kb)
- Custody suite checklist - what the ICV looks for (Word doc, 753 kb)
- North West ICVS conference programme 2011 (PDF format, 259kb)
- North West ICVS conference report for delegates 2011 (PDF format, 102kb)
This page was last updated on 30 January 2012