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Police cell checks scheme in turmoil
VOLUNTEERS safeguarding the conditions of prisoners held in Westminster police cells say they can no longer be sure detainees are receiving proper treatment.
The Independent Custody Visitor Panel, which has monitored conditions since a man died in custody during the Brixton riots in 1981, is in crisis after a set of new rules triggered dozens of resignations across London.
The mystery-shopper style scheme, where volunteers are given immediate access to prison and arrive without warning, is being overhauled by the Metropolitan Police Authority.
Volunteers have been banned from speaking to the press and must now ask designated questions.
A member of the North Westminster panel, who now cannot be named, said 20 volunteers had quit and there had been a “total breakdown in relations”.
He said: “I feel utter contempt for this new high-handed micro-management. We are even being told what questions to ask people in custody, which is absurd when we are meant to be independent. They want to control everything.”
The North Westminster panel made 50 visits to police stations last year, revealing problems at Marylebone station including dirty blankets, four-hour delays in the arrival of doctors and cells unsuitable for long-stay immigrants.
An MPA spokesman said: “It is absolutely not the case we are trying to diminish independence. We have no doubt of the importance of it.” |
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