Custody

1. How many custody suites are there in your Force area?
2. What is the detainee throughput at each custody suite per annum?
3. What is the average time a detainee spends in custody in your Force area?
4. How many police officers work in those custody suites?
5. How many civilian detention officers work in those custody suites?
6. Are the civilian detention officers employed by the Force? YES/NO
7. Are the civilian detention officers employed by an outside contractor? YES/NO
8. What is the duration of a "shift" for a detention officer?
9. How many receptionists are employed to deal with front desk public enquiries in your Force area?
10. Are the receptionists employed by an outside contractor? YES/NO
11. Are they employed by the Force? YES/NO
12. Have you employed ca PFI project director in the last 12 months? YES/NO
13. Do civilian support staff manage and operate VIPER / PROMAT (video identification)? YES/NO
14. Does the Force use an outside contractor to provide medical practitioner services in custody suites? YES/NO
15. Who is the person responsible for custody in the Force?

Question 1. This information is reasonably accessible to you by other means and is therefore exempt information in accordance with section 21 of the Act.

You may care to check our disclosure log under miscellaneous disclosures as follows:

Previous Custody Suites Disclosure

Question 2. Approximately 25,000 per year

Question 3. We do not hold this statistical data. To attempt to provide this data would entail a manual examination of each custody record which it is estimated would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit is defined in the Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004, which is covered by statutory Instrument Number 3244 of 2004. Furthermore, Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 allows a public authority to refuse to respond to a request for information where the cost of compliance would exceed the appropriate limit as defined by the above mentioned regulations.

Question 4. 48 posts for Custody sergeants,

Question 5. 63.

Question 6. Yes

Question 7. No

Question 8. 12 hours

Question 9. We do not employ receptionists. We do however employ support staff 'help desk officers' & 'help desk supervisors' their duties include dealing with members of the public at front desk enquiry offices at police stations. Total of 69 staff or employed as of October 2009. None are employed at custody suites.

Question 10. No

Question 11. Yes

Question 12. No

Question 13. Strict answer is "Yes", but as this is a 3-stage process, it should be added that police officers are involved with some of the overall process.

Question 14. Yes.

Question 15. Head of Central Custody, currently C/Isnp R M Crorie.