The City of London Independent Custody Visitor Scheme
In 2002, the Government introduced the Police Reform Act to help
regulate certain police responsibility. Section 51 of the Act came
in force as of 1 April 2003 and placed the previously well
established practice of "lay visiting", whereby volunteers attended
police stations to check on the treatment of detainees, on a
statutory footing. The provision requires every police authority,
including the City of London, to: (a) make arrangements for
detainees to be visited by persons appointed under those
arrangements; and (b) to keep those arrangements under review. The
arrangements are referred to as "Independent Custody Visiting
Schemes".
The Police Committee has since agreed its own Scheme in order to
safeguard the welfare of people detained in City of London Police
Stations. As part of this Scheme, independent visitors are
appointed to carry out regular checks on the conditions under which
detainees are kept. It is an important and valuable role in the
local community, particularly through maintaining public confidence
in this important area of policing.
Download the Independent Custody Visitors (ICV)
Scheme here (132kb)
If you are interested in becoming an Independent Custody
Visitor, please email
icv@cityoflondon.gov.uk for
more information.