§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many boroughs in the United Kingdom with a population of between 40,000 and 60,000 do not have a police station with a full custody suite; [20935]
485W(2) what estimates he has made of the availability of custody suites in south-east England; [20932]
(3) what his policy is on the retention of custody suites in police stations; [20931]
(4) how many custody suites have been closed (a) completely and (b) in part in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years; [20930]
(5) what research his Department has carried out into the need for the provision of custody suites in urban areas. [20933]
§ Beverley HughesNo information is collected centrally on either the number of boroughs in the United Kingdom with a population of between 40,000 and 60,000 who do not have a police station with a full custody suite, or the number of custody suites that have been closed in each of the last five years. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
There has been no research carried out by the Home Office into the need for the provision of custody suites in urban areas and there have been no estimates as to the availability of custody suites in south-east England.
Forces have restructured over the last few years. Many have centralised to either basic command unit level or geographically based custody suites. This is in order to ensure consistency in the quality of custody suites both in terms of facilities and the skill levels of staff. It can also produce resource savings by reducing the number of locations at which custody facilities and support services need to be provided.
It is an operational decision for chief officers of police to determine the number and location of custody facilities/police cells required by his/her force.