Cambridgeshire Wins Top National Award For ‘Outstanding’ Custody Scheme

 

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has scooped a top national award for the excellent and outstanding quality of its independent custody visiting scheme (ICVS). 

Last night, scheme manager, Shona McKenzie accepted the Platinum Award – the highest achievable - from the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) at a glittering ceremony in London.  

Under this scheme, trained volunteers from the local community known as Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs), make regular unannounced visits to police custody suites checking on the rights, entitlements, wellbeing and dignity of the detainees.  

Their findings are reported to the Police and Crime Commissioner who holds the Chief Constable to account.  

The Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) - the national membership body that supports, leads and represents these schemes - has developed a quality assurance framework to assess compliance with the code of practice that governs custody visiting. 

More than 25 key criteria covering areas including holding the force to account are assessed. Evidence for silver and gold awards is signed off by senior management and dip sampled by ICVA; whereas, the ICVA personally assesses platinum award entries.  

In order to attain the platinum status, scheme members must work through the parameters set at each level – progressing through silver and then gold.   

The quality assurance awards were introduced by ICVA to help schemes: 

• reflect on how they comply with the Code of Practice - the legislation that underpins custody visiting 

• celebrate areas of strength 

• promote custody visiting and the achievements schemes have made 

• drive performance and increase sharing of good practice. 

There were four graded levels of award: 

• Code Compliant - scheme meets statutory requirements and necessary volunteer standards 

• Silver – scheme provides a good standard of custody visiting and volunteer management 

• Gold – scheme provides an excellent standard of custody visiting and volunteer management 

• Platinum – scheme provides an outstanding standard of custody visiting and volunteer management. 

This is the third year schemes have been assessed under the framework and have been able to gain quality assurance awards to recognise the value of their work.  

Welcoming the award, Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston said: “I am delighted that our Independent Custody Visiting Scheme has been assessed as reaching the highest possible standard.  

“I know our volunteers are passionate about ensuring police custody is a safe environment and they continue to work hard suggesting improvements following their visits.  

“I would like to thank those volunteers and my colleague, Shona McKenzie, who manages the scheme within my office – this award is very much deserved!” 

On receiving the award, the scheme manager Shona McKenzie said: “Independent Custody Visitors play a vital role in ensuring transparency, accountability and public confidence in the treatment of people detained in police custody.  

“By making unannounced visits and speaking directly with detainees, our volunteers provide valuable independent scrutiny of custody environments across Cambridgeshire. 

“We are incredibly grateful for their commitment and dedication to safeguarding the rights and welfare of those in custody. We encourage anyone interested in making a positive contribution to their community to consider becoming an Independent Custody Visitor." 

Dame Anne Owers, Chair of ICVA, said: "Once again, these awards show the value and importance of independent custody visiting, with even more schemes being awarded the top platinum grading. This also reflects the crucial work that ICVA does, in providing support and training for volunteers and schemes across the country.” 

Sherry Ralph, Chief Executive at ICVA said: “The Quality Assurance Framework represents a significant and growing commitment from schemes to ensure that independent custody visiting is regularly reviewed, improvements are made where needed, and excellent practice is shared.  

“This year, we have also strengthened our approach by introducing a greater focus on volunteer voices, ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of Independent Custody Visitors are embedded within schemes and reflected in assessments, particularly at the higher levels of the framework. I congratulate schemes on their accomplishments and thank them for their continued dedication and commitment."