Tag: Police stations

Guidance for police on what constitutes a reasonable excuse for leaving the house during lockdown has been issued. Children are not identified as having distinct 'excuses' from adults but in reality many of society's most vulnerable children, such as those who are Looked After, will have pertinent reasons for leaving the places they live.

A protocol has been published to assist investigators and prosecutors in deciding whether suspects should be interviewed as part of a police investigation during the Covid-19 pandemic. The protocol applies to children but does not refer to them specifically.

PACE Codes C and H have been updated. Many of the changes relate to the care and treatment of detainees and and may have a particularly significant impact on children and young people in police detention.

The High Court found that arresting a volunteer at the police station was not a reasonable course of action by the police.

The Youth Justice Board and the Ministry of Justice have published statistics for children and young people in the criminal justice system in England and Wales for the year ending March 2017.

  Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, MoJ & National Statistics, January 2016 to March 2016   The latest proven reoffending statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that reoffending rates for children who are dealt with by way of youth caution at the police station are substantially lower ncluding Triage and Community Resolution. Details Some […]

Independent custody visiting association letter to the home office about sanitary protection for women and girls in police custody The Independent Custody Visitors Association (ICVA) has written to the Home Office to raise concerns about the fact that the needs of menstruating women in custody are not being met. The letter encloses counsel’s opinion in […]

The Home Office has published a concordat on children in custody, preventing the detention of children in police stations following charge. The concordat aims to clarify the legal and statutory duties of the police and local authorities. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 requires the transfer of children who have been charged and denied bail to more appropriate Local Authority accommodation, with a related duty in the Children Act 1989 for Local Authorities to accept these transfers.

The Lammy Review is an independent report into the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) in the criminal justice system. The Lammy Review highlights the current failings of the youth justice system and makes a number of important recommendations on how best to redress the disproportionate representation of BAME young people in the criminal justice system.

The European Court of Human Rights found that a child was subjected to “degrading” treatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by being kept handcuffed and wearing just his underwear for at least two and a half hours and, subsequently, by being placed in a cell with adult detainees for three days.

Changes to pre-charge bail came into force on the 3 April 2017. Pre-charge bail is now set at an initial 28 day limit, previously there had been no limit. These changes are part of a number of provisions being brought into force in stages by the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (PCA 2017) which received royal assent on the 31st January 2017.

New versions of PACE Codes C, D and H were published on 23 February 2017. A number of the updates to the Codes are specifically applicable to children and bring into line the Code’s with the previous amendment to PACE made by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 that defines a “juvenile” for the […]