‘No serious concerns’ on cell welfare

Published on 30/06/2012 12:00

CUSTODY visitors who assess the welfare of prisoners in police cells visited stations 200 times last year but found “no serious concerns” to report.

The custody visitors went to stations across the force area across 2011, including 46 visits to the cells at St Leonard’s, 40 to Dalkeith and 47 to Livingston.

During the 200 visits, they spoke to 218 detainees in a bid to ensure they were being properly cared for.

The majority of the concerns raised involved procedural matters, such as being offered food or whether a solicitor had been contacted, but the team found no serious concerns arose during the year.

The “low-level” concerns cited were dealt with by the visitors and custody officers at the end of the each visit.

There are currently 30 custody visitors in the force area, with five new members of the team appointed in March.