Help boost public confidence in police

Hertfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, David Lloyd, is calling on more people to become Independent Custody Volunteers (ICVs), carrying out important checks on police custody suites.
A police custody suiteA police custody suite
A police custody suite

The scheme is in place to monitor the conditions in police custody and the welfare of detainees, helping to increase public confidence.

Run by the commissioner’s office, Hertfordshire’s ICV Scheme uses volunteers who work or live in the county.

The scheme is just one of many which invites members of the public to volunteer their time to independently assess police procedures.

Other schemes include Stop and Search Scrutiny Panels, Independent Dog Welfare Volunteers and Community DriveSafe Volunteers.

The ICV scheme is currently recruiting for 25 open positions to bolster its dedicated existing team of volunteers covering the county’s two custody suites in Hatfield and Stevenage.

Between them, volunteers make unannounced visits to custody in pairs twice a week, during the day and night, seven days a week.

Once on site, they carry out a number of checks, speaking to both custody staff and detainees, and file a report based on their findings for further action.

Each volunteer is expected to carry out a minimum of four visits a year to the custody suites and attend twice-yearly panel meetings to discuss key issues raised.

All volunteers are vetted and fully trained on an on-going basis. There is also the opportunity to attend annual regional and some national conferences.

For further information, visit http://hertscommissioner.org/independent-custody-visiting-hertfordshire