Watchdog: People are still being ill-treated in custody

Prisoners and people who have been arrested are still being ill-treated in many cases in Scotland, according to a watchdog set up to prevent inhuman punishment.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment carried out inspections at five police stations across Scotland in 2018 and 2019, finding a raft of issues.

The Scottish arm of the UK’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) – an independent body monitoring places where people are detained – has now published a review into whether agreed improvements had taken place since then.

In its report, the NPM identified “underlying systemic problems” that have prevented progress and stated that many of the concerns raised “do not appear to have been addressed fully by the Scottish Government”.

A key issue is the lack of a “presumption of liberty”, where removing people’s freedoms should only be done as a last resort.

With police arrests, holding people beyond 24 hours – rather than a 12-hour limit as a general rule – frequently occurs, the report suggests, and people are not always told if a friend or family member has been informed of their arrest or had prompt access to a lawyer. Problems also still persist with the recording of injuries sustained in custody, police complaints handling and a lack of “purposeful activities” for people on remand.

The report adds: “It is apparent different groups of prisoners do not enjoy the same access to various activities. Men on remand and female prisoners held in male prisons are still highlighted as suffering the most.”