Section two The fifth year
of the national review will be launched at an
event hosted by the Welsh Government in
November 2014.
The first full cycle of joint inspections by
Ofsted, HMI Prisons and CQC of STCs was
completed and identified improvements
in secure provision as the programme
progressed. Further developments, including
a comprehensive consultation process,
will take place during the next year with a
view to implementing a new and improved
multi‑agency inspection framework in 2015.
In addition to supporting the plans and
joint activities reported on here, the NPM
coordination produced two fact sheets:
Introducing the UK’s National Preventive
Mechanism, and The First Five Years of the
UK NPM (see Appendix Nine).
Ensuring full coverage of all places
of detention (OPCAT Art.4.2)
The UK NPM and its members regularly
review coverage of places of detention and
the NPM has addressed gaps where these
have been identified. Specific developments
over the last year, including where the layered
monitoring provided by lay and professional
bodies has been strengthened, are as follows.
• In response to the setting up of temporary
custody facilities for the G8 summit held
in Northern Ireland in June 2013 (96
temporary cells and additional capacity for
up to 160 detainees at any one time), the
NIPBICVS voluntarily took on additional
visits to cover all facilities over a seven
day period. Fortunately the number of
arrests was minimal and the scenario that
had been collectively planned for did not
materialise; however custody volunteers
were well prepared had there been a high
number of arrests.
• Revisions to police Codes of Practice
issued in April 2013 placed a statutory
responsibility on PCCs to ensure local
arrangements for ICVs. The revisions
also included the requirement that ICV’s
reports on their visits to suspected
terrorist detainees are submitted to
the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism
Legislation.34 ICVA produced specific training
materials for this work, incorporating these
changes in Codes of Practice and any
protocol work associated with visiting of
detainees under the Terrorism Act.
• The Lay Observers began monitoring the
transportation of children from secure
children’s homes and secure training
centres to court and back. These escorts
are provided under a contract between
the Youth Justice Board and Serco.
• HMIPS worked to clarify responsibilities in
relation to the monitoring of court cells in
Scotland.
The NPM coordination met with the UK’s
Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation
and the SSAFA (a national Armed Forces charity
and member of ICVA) to determine possibilities
for collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
As a result the possibility of incorporating the
Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation
in the NPM is being explored with the Ministry
of Justice (MOJ).
On 28 March 2014 a ministerial statement
to Parliament announced a decision by
the Ministry of Defence that independent
inspection of the UK’s detention facilities in
Afghanistan, one of the recommendations
made in Sir William Gage’s report of the Baha
34 https://terrorismlegislationreviewer.independent.gov.uk/
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