‘Ligature points’ pose a suicide danger in cells Report reveals fears over safety of West Midland custody suites Old ‘cop shops’ could be a steal
WEST Midlands Police custody cells could be dangerous for detainees who want to harm themselves, an inspection report reveals.
Inspectors were concerned about a “substantial number” of potential ligature points which could be used for self-harm or suicide attempts.
Concerns have also been raised at the number of children detained overnight in custody suites because there are not enough secure council homes for them.
But the report from HM Inspector of Prisons and HM Inspector of Constabulary also praised the force for rarely using custody detention for people held under the Mental Health Act.
Officers were also said to be very aware of vulnerability and risk, and treated detainees with compassion and respect.
Inspectors said, however, they were concerned that issues raised during a previous visit in 2010 had not been addressed, despite the force opening two new state-ofthe-art custody suites in Perry Barr and Oldbury, and closing several older buildings.
Now, West Midlands Police Commissioner David Jamieson is calling for the Chief Constable to make rapid progress to tackle the issues raised.
“I have also raised concerns through the Local Criminal Justice Board regarding local authority provision of secure accommodation for children,” he said.
“It is correctly identified as an issue in this report and an area where urgent progress needs to be made.
“Despite the serious concerns raised, I am pleased that the independent inspectorates have recognised our services for people suffering from mental ill-health as ‘among the best’ they had seen.
“I will be holding West Midlands Police to account to ensure that progress is made quickly to improve standards in custody.”
Chief Inspector Eddy Johnston, West Midlands Police’s head of custody, said the force would act on the report’s findings.
“The inspection team identified areas for improvement but also highlighted lots of good work and, indeed, practices that have been heralded as among the best in UK policing,” he said.
“Many of the recommendations in the report − including repairing perceived ‘ligature points’ − are already being addressed and we expect to see improvements in areas such as staffing levels and healthcare provision for detainees in the near future.” FANCY a few years in an arresting new home? Then you’ll need to snap up a cop shop in the nick of time.
Because two former Birmingham police stations are going up for sale at auction next month.
Longbridge and Sheldon police stations will go under the hammer in the city’s biggest ever property auction.
Both were shut after £130 million funding was cut from local forces, leading to more than 28 police stations closing since 2015.
Now both are up for grabs on July 6 at Villa Park.
The old Longbridge police station occupies a prominent position on the main A38 Bristol Road South, between Hawkesley Mill Lane and Mavis Road and has a guide price of £165,000.
For that, buyers would snap up a spacious detached three-storey brick building with a pitched tiled roof, a separate single-storey annexe to the rear – plus parking for 15 cars, with gated access on to the Bristol Road.
The offices and interview rooms, could be turned into a residential development, subject to obtaining planning permission.
Meanwhile, the old Sheldon police station is also going under the hammer.
The building, between Sheldon Heath Road and Hengham Road, in Garretts Green is a unique two-storey detached brick building dating from the early 1950s.
Currently boasting offices, meeting rooms, interview rooms with stores, former locker rooms and WCs, it is suggested that commercial use might be best for this building. The guide price is £180,000. A total of 157 properties are up for sale at the SDL Bigwood Auction, including a former post office in Dudley, The Brook Meadow pub in Shard End and a former Methodist church near Bromsgrove.
The auction in the Holte Suite at Aston Villa FC starts at 10.30am on Thursday, July 6, and is run by SDL Auctions Bigwood.