The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent wins national gold award for custody visiting

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent has been recognised nationally for the high quality of its independent custody visiting scheme.

Under this scheme, trained volunteers from the local community (Independent Custody Visitors or ICVs), managed by the Commissioner’s office make regular unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the rights, entitlements, wellbeing and dignity of the detainees held there. Their findings are reported to the Police and Crime Commissioner, and is one of the ways the Commissioner holds the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public.

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

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent was recognised with a gold quality assurance award by the ICVA at its award ceremony on July 8.

Welcoming the award, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jane Mudd, said: “Independent Custody Visitors do a crucial job, ensuring that Gwent Police is held to the highest standards and that detainees are treated appropriately. They play an important part in helping my office to ensure robust scrutiny of the work of Gwent Police and provide an independent check and balance that helps to build public confidence in policing.

“I am delighted that the high quality of the service we provide has been recognised nationally, and would like to thank my team and the custody visitors themselves for all of their hard work.”

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."