Section one Context HMI Prisons, HMICFRS and ICVs reported that detainees who needed them did not always receive the support of Appropriate Adults or had to wait too long for this support. ICVs additionally reported delays in accessing mental health support in the custody suite and incomplete detainee risk assessments. HMI Prisons and HMICFRS reported that governance of use of force was weak in all forces inspected in England and Wales.185 Data were often not readily available and were unreliable or inaccurate, and not all staff involved in using force against detainees routinely completed the individual forms required to justify its use. There was too little quality assurance of incidents where force was used. This was an ongoing concern or area for improvement in all police custody inspection reports. Despite these weaknesses in governance, custody staff generally managed challenging detainees well and de-escalated many situations effectively without resorting to using force. HMICFRS also stated that review of detention (as required by PACE) to decide whether a further period of detention for the detainee should be authorised were often not carried out well enough. HMI Prisons, HMICFRS and ICVs reported that there were some improvements to the police’s approach to managing the welfare needs of women in custody, with more being offered the opportunity to speak with a female officer and provision of suitable menstrual care products, though this was not universal and concerns remain in some areas. ICVs reported seeing no female members of staff in the suites, and problems with women in custody accessing showers. ICVs in England and Wales made some positive reports of detainee care in the period. This included specific cases where staff have supported vulnerable detainees. In addition to this, several schemes reported effective working between the custody staff and the ICVs, with time being taken to explain processes, offering of shadowing opportunities and engaging with ICVs during busy periods in custody. However, there were staffing issues in police custody over the period, including being short-staffed, which ICVs reported as having unacceptable impacts on detainee care, and issues with ICVs themselves attaining access to custody and detainees. HMI Prisons and HMICFRS jointly carried out the first inspections of the five custody suites used for holding suspects arrested for terrorism or terrorist-related offences. Overall, inspectors found many positive features and good outcomes for detainees. Custody staff provided good care for detainees, and the conditions in which detainees were held were generally of a good standard. However, there was a lack of integration between counter terrorism policing and custody services in the host police forces. The main areas identified for improvement related to governance, oversight and consistency of approaches and procedures across the facilities. 185 HMI Prisons, October 2020, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons Annual Report 2019-20, https://www. justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/10/HMI-Prisons_Annual-Report-and-Accounts2019-20-WEB.pdf [accessed 30/10/2020] 59