The region’s army of volunteers made unannounced visits to police custody suites across the North West this week.
Greater Manchester’s independent custody visitors, along with volunteers in Cumbria, Lancashire, North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire, carried out simultaneous checks on the welfare of people in custody.
The visit is part of National Volunteer’s Week, a national initiative to recognise and celebrate the valuable contribution volunteers make to all parts of our society.
Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “Volunteers are the unsung heroes of our society, selflessly giving up their own time to help those in need and make our communities safer and stronger.
“Our independent custody visitors scheme is just one example of the invaluable role of volunteers. The scheme is vital to the integrity of the criminal justice process, which benefits police and society as much as it does those who have been arrested. Its effectiveness is reliant on volunteers and I want to thank them for the work they do.
“Greater Manchester boasts an army of people. From the street pastors and special constables, home watch organisers to youth workers, each is united in their desire to a real difference. They deserve recognition and respect for the work they do, making an invaluable contribution to their communities.”
The independent custody visiting (ICV) scheme ensures that custody facilities are closely monitored by people outside of the police force and is overseen in Greater Manchester by the police and crime commissioner’s office.
Wholly independent from the police, independent custody volunteers make random visits in pairs to police stations to check on the welfare of people who are in police custody. They look at a number of issues, from the treatment of detainees and behaviour of custody staff, to the effectiveness of custody processes.
Anita Ruddock has been an Independent Custody Visitor for more than two years. She said: “I began volunteering because I wanted to help others and make a difference. Being an ICV is interesting and rewarding – every visit is different – and I’ve met lots of people from different backgrounds and communities.”
There are 30 ICVs in Greater Manchester, and every custody suite in the area is visited once a week. ICVs also inspect police custody at Manchester Airport once a month.
For more information about ICVs and our other volunteer schemes, visit www.gmpcc.org.uk/volunteers
