GMP’s action plan:

We accept the recommendations in this report.  

We commit to implementing them fully and faithfully with a view to making lasting improvements. 

While much remains to be done, many of the criticisms in this report substantially mirror the criticisms from HMICFRS’ 2022 inspection which we have taken such positive action on. 

Our ability to take forward the recommendations is immensely strengthened by the substantial progress we have already made.  

Following Dame Vera’s recommendations, we are already taking the following action: 

• Completely stopped the use of anti-tear clothing. 

• Trained custody officers not to authorise strip-searches for welfare purposes when based solely on a detainee not answering risk assessment questions at custody desk and are ensuring this is reinforced for more explicit policy, guidance, and direction. 

• Introduced provision in every custody suite for men, women, and children to have separate cell areas where possible. 

• Introduced female welfare officers for every female detainee and provide resources to signpost to relevant agencies for support and advice. 

• Introduced packs for female detainees that includes soap, blanket, and packaged sanitary products. 

• Introduced an audit system to ensure compliance in answering cell buzzers quickly. 

• Dip-sampling more than 150 proactive reviews of arrests per month. 

• Vastly improved attendance times for appropriate adults to be present for the strip-search of a child with the vast majority now within 30 minutes.  

• In March 2024 alone, 88% of appropriate adults arrived within 30 minutes as part of our professional appropriate adult scheme. 

• Expanded the size of our complaints team and improved the speed and quality of our responses. 

• Increased our response times to Subject Access Requests from 47% (June 2022) compliance to 82% (May 2024). 

• Ensuring custody officers routinely give detainees are given the option to offer items up before a search is necessary, and to ensure the reasons for a strip search are explained in plain language and properly recorded. 

• Continuing our commitment to ensuring improved compliance to the Victim’s Code. 

• Implementing improved templates for ‘arrest packs’ to enhance quality of arrests. 

• Exploring the potential for IT solutions to ensure accurate and comprehensive data on strip-searches. 

• Training all custody officers and wider establishment of GMP officers and staff regarding the Ministry of Justice’s ‘Female Offender Strategy’. 

• Reviewing our voluntary attendance policy and retraining staff on its use. 

• Reviewing how to ensure all officers are able to recognise and respond to the effects of domestic and sexual trauma on survivors. 

• Reviewing custody officer training and compliance testing to ensure staff adopt a non-coercive approach. 

We also commit ourselves to: 

• Welcoming any proposed trial of equipment, such as airport screening devices, to enhance decision making around strip searches in custody. 

• Welcoming any opportunity to pilot any new national definition of strip-search. 

• Supporting the Deputy Mayor and fully participating in an arrests scrutiny panel. 

• Supporting the Deputy Mayor in extending the scrutiny panel’s scope to also include custody records containing information about strip-searches. 

• Continuing to support the Independent Custody Visitors scheme and any proposed extension to its current form.