National Preventive Mechanism Eighth Annual Report 2016–17 centres HMICS concluded that it was not always clear why a detainee was considered to be low or high risk and that the rationale for subsequent care plans was not always apparent. Concerns were raised over the sufficiency of methods used to safeguard the health and well-being of very high-risk detainees. HMICS also noted concerns about the mixing of male and female detainees and about constant observations of high-risk detainees being carried out, via CCTV, by staff of the opposite gender from the detainee. In England and Wales, there were 14 deaths in or following police custody during the year, the same number reported for 2015–16. One of these involved a woman taking her own life while in police custody, the first time this had occurred since 2014–15. The number of apparent suicides following police custody decreased for the third consecutive year to 55.27 Of those forces in England and Wales inspected during 2016–17, all but one was considered to have significant weaknesses in relation to the use of force. All forces inspected reported that a high number of people with mental health problems were being detained. Efforts continued to be made by several forces to improve mental health services, but both inspectors and independent custody visitors found that waiting times for assessment and transfer under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) remained high. Several forces made efforts throughout the year to divert people with mental health needs from police custody and to address the use of police custody as a place of safety under section 136 of the MHA.28 In Northern Ireland, the use of custody as a place of safety remained low, with five detentions under Article 130(1) of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. This figure was unchanged from 2015–16.29 Independent custody visitors in Northern Ireland observed increasing numbers of detainees who were ‘flagged’ by police on their custody record as being at risk of self-harm, suicide or who had mental health concerns, and increasing numbers of detainees requiring constant observation and close proximity checks. The number of children arrested in England and Wales continued to fall during 2016,30 but inspections continued to find children being detained unnecessarily with alternative options not being adequately explored. Children were not always provided with sufficient care and support.31 Concerns were raised about the use of tasers and ‘spit 27. Independent Police Complaints Commission, 2017, Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales for 2016/17, https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/research_stats/Deaths_Report_1617.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 28. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2017, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report 2016–17, https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/HMIP-AR_2016-17_ CONTENT_11-07-17-WEB.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 29. Data provided to the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) on 13 June 2017 by Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) as extracted from NICHE. NICHE is an electronic case management and crime-recording system and PSNI regularly provides the NIPB with a range of statistical information as part of its oversight and accountability functions. 30. Howard League for Penal Reform, 2017, Child arrests in England and Wales 2016: Research briefing, http://howardleague. org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Child-arrests-in-England-and-Wales-2016.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 31. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2017, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report 2016–17, https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/HMIP-AR_2016-17_ CONTENT_11-07-17-WEB.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 18