Herts Police and Crime Commissioner wants volunteers to visit police cells

Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd is looking for new recruits . . . willing to drop in to Hertfordshire’s two custody suites.

Last year there were more than 19,000 people who were detained at one of Hertfordshire Police’s two custody suites, in Hatfield and in Stevenage.

And keeping a watchful eye on the operation of those suites are a team of ‘independent custody volunteers’ (ICVs), recruited by the Commissioner’s office.

The ICV scheme is designed to ‘safeguard the rights of suspects’.

Last year (2019/20) the team of volunteers made 129 unannounced visits, in pairs – and spoke directly to 555 detainees.

And now the Commissioner is hoping to appeal to new volunteers, who would be interested in making the unannounced visits to check on detainees’ conditions, while in police custody.

Volunteers – who must be over 18 yeas old – will be given full training and expenses. And they will be expected to complete between eight and 12 visits a year.

The ongoing appeal for volunteers was highlighted in a written report, presented by the Police and Crime Commissioner to a meeting of the county council’s community safety and waste management cabinet panel on Wednesday, November 18.

More information can be found at: www.hertscommissioner.org/2020-09-custody-volunteers-asked-to-come-forward