Custody Visiting
Custody Visitors play an important role in ensuring that people held in police custody (not yet convicted) are treated fairly.
Custody Visitors play an important role in ensuring that people held in police custody (not yet convicted) are treated fairly.
When someone is arrested, they are taken to a custody suite for detention while the case is investigated.
To promote transparency and reassure communities about detainee treatment, West Yorkshire has an Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) scheme.
ICVs are volunteers aged 18 and over, from various backgrounds, who live or work in the region.
They speak with detainees to ensure they understand their rights and entitlements while in custody and check on their welfare.
Custody Visitors can also inspect the cells and some areas of the custody suite, like the food preparation area. They operate independently from the police.
The scheme is managed locally by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, independent of West Yorkshire Police.
ICVs can enter custody suites in pairs, unannounced, 24/7, all year round. They aim to make at least 24 visits over a 12-month period.
Custody Visitors are encouraged to come at any time, day or night, without prior notice.
New Custody Visitors receive training before starting their duties.
Besides initial training, ICVs are invited to attend seminars and meetings throughout their appointment. Ongoing training and support are also provided.
The recruitment window is currently closed.
Following an enquiry into the Brixton and Toxteth Disorders in 1981, Lord Scarman's report recommended that random checks be carried out by non-police individuals on suspects in custody.
Following successful pilots, the West Yorkshire Independent Custody Visiting Scheme was launched in 1983.
The scheme has evolved over the years. Recently, Section 51 of the Police Reform Act 2002 established custody visiting as a statutory requirement.
In creating the scheme, the Mayor considered the Home Office's Code of Practice on Independent Custody Visiting.
Custody Visitors fill out a report form after each visit. This form details their findings and broader impressions. The report is sent to the Policing and Crime Team within the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The findings are raised with West Yorkshire Police for action, or in some cases, for information. Recurring or significant findings are raised with senior officers within West Yorkshire Police.
This report summarises the ICV scheme and highlights the fantastic work our volunteers have done, including statistics and insights from visits.
View West Yorkshire's Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) Scheme Annual Report 2024 - 2025
This report describes the findings following an inspection of West Yorkshire Police custody facilities. The inspection was conducted jointly by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission in September 2023. The inspection assessed the effectiveness of custody services and outcomes for detained people throughout the different stages of detention. It examined West Yorkshire Police’s approach to custody provision in relation to detaining people safely and respectfully, with a particular focus on children and vulnerable adults.
View the HMICFRS – Joint Inspection of Police Custody in West Yorkshire Report
If you’d like to join our team of volunteers, please email the team with your name and contact details to be notified of the next recruitment window.
An Independent Custody Visitor is someone who cares and wants to make a difference to vulnerable members of our society, people who have perhaps made one mistake, one error of judgement, people who are scared and perhaps don’t understand the language or what is happening to them. ICVs do not judge - but we do care.
ICV Volunteer
Being an ICV is so rewarding. When a detainee says 'thank you for what you do'; when a child can be persuaded to have something to eat or drink when their initial bravado has worn off and they admit to being hungry; the grateful look on someone’s face when someone tries to communicate with them through interpretation cards, so they are no longer quite as afraid as when you first walk through the cell door; getting someone who has mental health issues to talk to you when they have felt less able to talk to someone in uniform. There are so many positives to this role, and every visit is completely different. It is hugely satisfying to walk out of a custody suite knowing you have made a difference, whether to a detainee or to custody staff. We are all part of society and have our roles to play as human beings looking after each other. Being able to help someone in some way, not matter how small, is an honour.
ICV Volunteer
I volunteer because it is an opportunity to take part in something that supports the local community. People in custody may feel angry or upset. It may be their first time in custody. To see someone who is friendly, empathic and is non-judgemental, who is interested in how they are and not why they are in custody can be very powerful. People are innocent until proven guilty and should be treated with respect, care, and dignity. I remember my first visit was daunting because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even now, after doing this for nearly three years I’m readying myself for when the cell door is opened, and I see the detainee for the first time. This is a volunteering opportunity where you get to feel that you are making a difference and learn new skills.
ICV Volunteer
When you become an ICV, it's taking a step into the unknown, or it was for me anyway, having never had any connection to the police or criminal justice system. It gives me a unique and privileged right, as a member of the public, to request entry to any custody suite at any time in 24 hours without notice. There is no reflected glory in it, and in fact only my immediate family, my two referees and the ICV team know what I do. It's not a role you can talk about with friends, but if you are happy with quietly knowing you've done a good job, and learned something along the way, it's reward enough. We meet a huge cross section of society within those cell walls, from children as young as 10, to the elderly. We are not aware of the reason they are in custody, but we offer the same to everyone, giving them a chance to tell us about their treatment whilst in custody.
ICV Volunteer
Visits mean different things to different detained people. The visits I get the most satisfaction from are the detainees that open up. You soon recognise the people that are vulnerable in an unfamiliar, closed environment, and respond to a friendly voice there to look out for them. I do not see my role as adversarial, I’m not there to catch people out, I’m there to validate all parts of the system are working correctly to ensure we are acting in everyone’s best interest.
ICV Volunteer
