David Jamieson in call to find juveniles secure places to stay
Councils must do more to provide secure accommodation for children in custody, says the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.
David Jamieson says he will be in talks with authorities after it was revealed police have nowhere in the region to transfer juveniles who are refused bail.
Instead, children are often kept in police custody suites designed for adults.
An inspection of West Midlands Police custody suites published this week found too many children were being kept in the cells.
The report found out of 384 children charged and refused bail last year, alternative accommodation was requested in 239 cases – but only provided in 22.
Mr Jamieson said: “I will be raising this important issue with local authorities to ensure that secure accommodation for children is provided. It is a statutory responsibility of local authorities that needs to be rapidly progressed.
“It is not acceptable for there to be no secure accommodation for children in the West Midlands.
“On some occasions the nearest secure accommodation is in South Wales – it just isn’t acceptable.”
The prison custody inspection put forward a list of 39 recommendations. These included ensuring care was provided when needed for detainees being released and improving observations of cells and monitoring of the use of force.
Mr Jamieson added: “This report highlights serious questions that I have raised with the Chief Constable and am expecting rapid progress to be made by West Midlands Police.
West Midlands Police Head of Custody, Chief Inspector Eddy Johnston, said: “The inspection team identified areas for improvement but also highlighted lots of good work and indeed practices that have been heralded as among the best in UK policing. Overall, HMIC said detainees are treated with compassion, respect and that staff were focused on keeping detainees safe.”
