Report Summary
This report provides members of the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee with an overview of the work and progress to resolve the outstanding HMICS recommendations relating to custody provision.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Policing Performance Committee - 16 September 2025
Date : 09 December 2025
Location : online
Background
Police Scotland’s custody centres are the most frequently inspected police custody centres across the United Kingdom, with a current inspection regime of three inspections per year.
This is a marked increase in comparison to previous years, with there being one annual inspection per year until 2023. Custody centres pertinent to forces in England and Wales can expect to be subject to external inspection once every six years.
Inspections are all now conducted jointly by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) and Health Improvement Scotland (HIS).
This is in recognition of the critical importance of healthcare provision within police custody to ensure the right care for the people who come into custody, a large proportion of whom have complex health needs.
