Independent Custody Visitors to be celebrated during Volunteers’ Week

The remarkable difference volunteers make within our communities is rightly being celebrated and acknowledged this week as part of national Volunteers’ Week running from June 2 to 8.

The main area that people can volunteer with my office is as an Independent Custody Visitor (ICV). These incredible volunteers are members of the local community who are completely independent of the police and selflessly give up some of their spare time to check on the treatment of people detained in custody, the conditions in which they are being held and ensure that their rights and entitlements are being observed. 

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act placed a statutory obligation on all Police Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales to have in place an effective ICV scheme in their police force area. 

The reason for this is that for many people, arriving in a custody suite can be a daunting and frightening experience and they may not be aware of their rights or entitlements. The scheme offers protection and confidentiality to detainees and provides reassurance to me that the custody environment is working well or an ability to flag vital issues not being addressed promptly. 

In Devon and Cornwall, we are fortunate to currently have 17 ICVs who are recruited by my office. Of those, 10 are women and seven are men – with both representing a range of different ages and backgrounds. 

They visit police stations across Devon and Cornwall in a pair, unannounced, and then submit a report of their findings to my office and the local custody inspector. This is essential for me to be able to carry out my commissioner’s duty of scrutinising Devon & Cornwall Police’s custody management.  

Should any areas of concern be highlighted by the ICVs, it is my duty to call for immediate action to be taken and ensure it is carried out through continued rigorous monitoring. 

In the last financial year from April 2024 to March 2025, there were 25,055 detentions in Devon and Cornwall. During that time, 135 visits were carried out by ICVs at custody centres throughout Devon and Cornwall, including Exeter, Torquay, Plymouth, Barnstaple, Newquay and Camborne. 

Encouragingly, reports for the majority of those visits were consistently positive. However, issues included concerns over maintenance of the custody environment and this has resulted in further investment; access to exercise facilities or washing facilities not always being available when custody suites are busy; a broken CCTV in one of the custody suites which has since been fixed, and on occasions police staff shortages meaning ICVs could not carry out inspections due to a member of the police not being available to escort them around.  These visits were rescheduled. 

No significant issues have been raised following ICV visits so far this year. 

When ICVs arrive at a custody  suite, they are escorted to the custody centre by a Custody Sergeant. They independently decide which detainees to visit, prioritising anyone who is vulnerable, women and children. 

Strict rules of confidentiality mean that ICVs are not told detainees’ names or why they are in custody, and detainees have to give their consent to be visited. 

The checks ICVs carry out are to ensure people in custody are being treated properly such as that the cell is clean, they have access to food that caters for different diets, water, distraction items and to make sure they have been offered a solicitor. 

ICVs can also inspect custody records with the detainee’s consent, which are a record of everything that happens while a detainee is in custody.  ICVs can use this information to corroborate any statements made by the detainee and to ensure that the detainee’s rights and entitlements are being followed. 

Immediate areas of concern can be raised with the Custody Sergeant or the Custody Inspector if the matter cannot be resolved immediately or is of a serious nature that requires ongoing attention. 

Visits typically last between 30 minutes and two hours and are carried out during the morning, day or night. 

The criteria for being an ICV is that they must be 18 years old or over, independent of the police service, live or work in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and have been resident in the UK for the three years prior to application.   

No specific experience or qualifications are required and ICVs are taught the role during a probationary period that lasts around six months. Further mandatory training is provided via online courses and meetings. 

The time commitment required once trained is around one to two visits a month. 

I would like to express my sincere appreciation not just to our ICVs but all those across the country, and to every volunteer within different organisations whose contributions are indescribably valued within our communities. Life is a richer place thanks to the gift of time they give to people from all walks of life. 

For more details about becoming an ICV, please click here.