Michelle Lawrence
8 Nov 2016 · Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox · London Inner (West)
This report repeats 1 earlier warning. See the linked reports.
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of independent investigation into deaths after release from private custody providers
“That there is no independent investigation into the deaths of persons following release from private providers of custody analogous to the IPCC such that important evidence is lost that upon analysis may be used to learn lessons and thus prevent future deaths.”
2. detainees not asked about concealment
“That detainees are currently not asked about concealment. Such questions at booking in by police and on transfer between custody providers and when in consultation with health care professionals would provide an opportunity for some individuals who conceal to be identified either by positive responses to such questions or by allowing staff to assess their credibility. Ms [name redacted] had admitted to taking drugs whilst in custody in February 2015.”
3. absence of strip searching facilities
“That facilities for strip searching appear to be virtually non-existent for those in the custody of SERCO.”
4. failure to check toilets for concealed items
“That SERCO staff do not appear to routinely check toilets for concealed items after they have been used by detainees.”
5. insufficient CCTV monitoring facilities
“That all custody suites have sufficient facilities for CCTV monitoring of detainees at risk in custody whether held by the State or private custody providers.”
6. insufficient character limit on PNC risk descriptions
“That the number of characters on the PNC where risks are described and highlighted need to be increased to allow sufficient meaningful detail to be recorded to allow accurate risk assessment by staff without having to trawl through multiple electronic documents.”
Linked reports
Closely relatedConfidence 0.92 · high
Earlier report
“The use of CCTV monitored cells was discontinued after his death and was not available at the time of Mr [name redacted] death.”
This report
“(5) That all custody suites have sufficient facilities for CCTV monitoring of detainees at risk in custody whether held by the State or private custody providers.”
Responses
No published response was found on judiciary.uk.