Volunteering for the Haringey Independent Custody Visitors Panel

Haringey Independent Custody Visitor Panel is now looking for more members and in particular young people (18+).

Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) are volunteers from the local community who make unannounced visits to police stations to check that people detained are being treated in accordance with their rights and entitlements. That means making sure that their health and wellbeing is being considered and that the conditions and facilities in which they are kept are of a good standard. It also means making sure they have had the opportunity to speak to a lawyer and that someone knows they are being detained.

Custody visitor panels were introduced in the 1980s to improve community confidence in the police. Panels in London are managed and administered by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and so are completely independent of the police.

The Haringey Panel has a good relationship with Haringey police who welcome our visits. It is my experience that custody staff are proud of their role and how they perform it and are always pleased to let ICVs see how they manage. The Panel meets with the police four times a year to discuss what has happened at visits and to get updates on policing issues in the borough.

Panel members are expected to make one visit each month and to attend the quarterly meeting. That means a commitment of about 2-3 hours each month, after training. Full training is provided by MOPAC. Visits are always made in pairs and new members are always supported by more experienced visitors. Visits can last any time from 20 minutes to two hours depending on how many people are in custody and what comes up - each visit is always different.

My own experience is that it is a worthwhile role. Detainees are generally pleased to see visitors and to talk for a few minutes about their experience in custody (which I should say is almost always fine). When we need to take action it is usually on matters which are simple to arrange but which have a high impact on those affected. Some examples are arranging for an extra blanket to be given to a detainee in a cold cell, asking for a phone call to be made, or arranging for food or drink to be brought to someone who may be unable or unwilling to ask. There are of course occasions when other more serious matters may be raised, but they are rare.

Panel members come from all walks of life. I know from meeting volunteers in other boroughs that it is often recommended to young law students interested in a career in criminal law as a good way of getting an understanding of the police arrest and detention process, and as a way of meeting and helping people who are in the criminal justice system.

The Haringey Panel visits one site, a purpose built custody centre in Wood Green which opened in December 2013. The Panel was consulted and kept informed on progress on the move to Wood Green and was asked for and gave advice to the police before the new custody centre was opened.

Applications must be made to MOPAC which organises interviews and vetting. The official MOPAC ICV page is:

http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/policing-crime/how-we-work/inde...

which has a link to the simple application form. [I should say that on the webpage although MOPAC describes the scheme as 'custody visitation' I have not yet experienced anything supernatural during a visit.] .

I'm the chair of the Panel so will answer questions if anyone is interested in knowing more, and happy to take a discussion offline if you wish - PM me.