Wiltshire Police has welcomed the findings of a government inspection of custody provision - which are contained in a report issued today.

Inspectors from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), who visited custody suites in Swindon and Melksham in November 2023, have identified two areas as causes of concern and highlighted a further nine areas for improvement.

In addition, they highlighted a number of improvements and areas where the force are performing well, including the identification of vulnerability, treatment of children, care of detainees on their release and the care and respect shown towards detainees.

On use of force, the report said: "We reviewed 23 cases of use of force on CCTV. When force was used, in most cases it was proportionate to the risk or threat posed. But incidents weren’t always managed well.

"And custody officers didn’t always oversee and direct the use of force well enough. However, we also saw some good communication by officers which de-escalated situations well and avoided the need to use force."

HMICFRS said the force’s governance and oversight of the use of force in custody isn’t good enough, and that information on the number of times force is used in custody is inaccurate.

It added: "It isn’t always properly recorded on custody records and sometimes it isn’t recorded at all. Not all staff involved in an incident complete the required use-of-force forms.

"In our CCTV review we found not all cases are managed well. This prevents any effective scrutiny over the use of force by Wiltshire Police."

Another cause for concern was that healthcare staff shortages mean detainee healthcare needs aren’t always met, and not all detainees are able to see a healthcare professional promptly, or sometimes at all.

HMICFRS said the force should work with the health provider to make sure the contract is properly implemented so detainees requiring healthcare in custody are seen promptly and their needs met.

The areas for improvement included leadership, accountability and partnerships; in the custody suite – booking-in, individual needs and legal rights; in the custody cell, safeguarding and healthcare; and release and transfer from custody.

Treatment of children and vulnerable adults, working with mental health services and care of detainees on release highlighted as positives.

Superintendent Guy Elkins, lead for Crime Standards and Justice said: “The report contains a number of important recommendations around how we can improve the service we provide in our custody suites. We have already started to implement a number of changes to our working practices and we are updating our systems in order to address these concerns.

“In response to the governance and oversight of the use of force, we have invested in a new software platform which will enable greater scrutiny and oversight of force used, which is a priority for the whole force.

"We have also brought in new oversight measures, with complaints relating to Use of Force now reviewed as part of our monthly custody performance meetings - where we can readily identify trends and learning opportunities."

Superintendent Elkins added: "It is heartening to note that the inspectors positively highlighted our approach towards the treatment of children and vulnerable adults - identifying that we work well with youth offending services to keep children from entering the criminal justice system and demonstrating good joint working with mental health services to support detainees in this regard."

To read the report and Wiltshire Police's response in full, click here.