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Written question asked by David Ruffley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 5 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 November 2008. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Police Custody

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the extent to which police custody suites are being used for (a) those who are mentally ill or held for their own protection and (b) the drunk and disorderly.
Answer

The Independent Police Complaints Commission published a report on 10 September on the use of police stations as places of safety under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. Findings from the research show that 11,500 people were detained in police custody under section 136 during 2005-06. The average amount of time spent in police custody was nine hours 36 minutes, with the vast majority of detainees leaving within 12 hours. On 30 April 2008, section 44 of the Mental Health Act 2007 was brought into effect. This allows the transfer of a person from one place of safety to another before an assessment has been carried out and recognises the importance of using a police station on an exceptional basis and that when it is used, there is the ability to transfer a person to a more suitable place at the earliest available opportunity.The arrests information held by the Ministry of Justice covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only which excludes summary offences of ““being drunk and disorderly””. The Home Office has not made any assessments of the use of custody suites in relation to drunk people. Alcohol arrest referral schemes aim to reduce offending among people arrested for alcohol-related offences by providing them with advice on the links between unsafe drinking levels and offending. This can take place in custody suites.Some brief interventions are initially custody-based and voluntary with follow-up interventions outside custody.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
483 c2284-5W; 234472
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Police custody
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk