HC Deb 29 October 1992 vol 212 cc761-2W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convicted prisoners and how many remand prisoners are currently being held in police cells in England; and how many of these are in the north-west region;

(2) what steps he is taking to ease the problem arising from holding convicted and remand prisoners in police cells; and when he expects a reduction in the numbers of such prisoners;

(3) what steps he has taken to alleviate problems caused to families and legal representatives in gaining access to prisoners held in police cells; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

On 26 October, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 497 prisoners in police cells in England. Of these 346 were in police cells in the north-west, as shown in the table.

Police force Number of prisoners in police cells on 26 October 1992
Cheshire 1
Cumbria 1
Greater Manchester 233
Lancashire 37
Merseyshire 74
Total 346

Information collected centrally does not differentiate between remand and convicted prisoners, but surveys have confirmed that most such prisoners are on remand. There has been a very substantial reduction in the number of prisoners being held in police cells. On 31 March, 1,882 prisoners were held in this way in England and Wales as a whole. The total number on 26 October was 524. A new joint initiative involving close co-operation between the police and prison service management has proven to be very effective in achieving reductions in police cell use against the background of a fall in the total population in custody.

The police are aware of the importance of legal and family visits for prisoners in police cells. The vast majority of legal visits take place without difficulty, although practical constraints may arise at individual police stations from time to time. Liaison prison governors are available to advise the police. Facilities for family visits at some police stations are limited, and there may also be special security considerations which have to be taken into account. Guidance to the police provides that preference should be given to unconvicted prisoners to receive visits more frequently than convicted prisoners if a choice has to be made.