INDEPENDENT CUSTODY VISITORS

Under the revised States of Jersey Police Force Law 2012, an amendment was agreed by the States Assembly in 2017 for the Jersey Police Authority to provided an Independent Custody Visiting service as a statutory requirement.

Our Role, in Independent Custody Visiting

In the UK, ICVA is a Home Office funded organisation set up to promote and support the effective provision of custody visiting nationally. A national resource on custody visiting, ICVA works closely with government and criminal justice organisations to:

Raise public awareness on the rights , entitlements, health and wellbeing of people held in police custody
Advise on best practice for independent custody visiting schemes nationally
Provide training, publicity and support to Police and Crime Commissioners and ICVs

The JPA has a professional membership with ICVA so that we can follow best practice in running an effective and efficient custody visiting service.

If you would like to find out more about becoming an ICV in Jersey, please see the ICV Role Profile document below and contact us using the form on the contacts page.

For ICV’s

ICVA values and respects the work of independent custody visitors, who play a vital role in raising standards of custody and the treatment of detainees. It provides support to ICVs right across the UK, from initial training to regional and national conferences and publications, keeping them up to speed on latest policies and sharing best practice. ICVA liaises directly with ICVs regularly and encourages their direct feedback in the form of queries, concerns or suggestions relating to custody visiting. The ICV Code of practice is available to view below.

For those in Custody

ICVA plays an active role in promoting fair treatment for people in police custody to ensure that the wellbeing of detainees is monitored locally and that issues relating to individuals or the custody environment are addressed appropriately. ICVA’s training scheme promotes prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable detainees. View Women in Police Custody article below.

For the Police Service

ICVA works with Police Authorities to enhance partnerships and provide a service that assists the police in the effective operation of schemes locally for all involved in the process. Specifically ICVA provides:

Advice and support to those police officers responsible for facilitating custody visiting
Assistance in ensuring that improvements suggested by the HMICFRS & HMIP Joint Inspections and action plans are monitored
A sounding board for issues relating to custody visiting
An advisory body for the police service to refer national issues.

View the National Strategy for Police Custody below.