Outstanding Recommendations

On completion of custody inspections HMICS produce both recommendations and areas for improvement. HMICS expect formal reporting in the form of closure reports on all recommendations, however, do not review progress of areas for improvement.

Despite this, Police Scotland adopt the same approach to both categories, this is to ensure a proactive, robust approach to continuous improvement and to avoid areas for improvement becoming substantive recommendations in future reports.

This time last year (2024), Police Scotland had 60 live HMICS recommendations and areas for improvement in relation to custody. Over the past 12 months, there has been a significant amount of effort, focus and enhanced divisional governance in respect of HMICS recommendations and areas for improvement, which has resulted in a total of 38 recommendations and areas for development being closed.

As at 5 November 2025, there remained 19 live HMICS recommendations and 3 areas for improvement for custody provision. Of the 19 recommendations, 2 further closure reports have been submitted to HMICS and are awaiting review for closure.

Appendix A details the 19 outstanding recommendations and 3 outstanding areas for improvement. Some of the live recommendations are the same or very similar in nature but are recorded as separate recommendations as they have been identified through separate custody centre inspections.

Of the live recommendations which remain, the following areas and themes are being prioritised. These are aligned to the repeated issues identified by HMICS during their inspections:

- Understanding risk and ensuring appropriate observation levels are applied in custody
- Improving recording practices on the National Custody System (NCS)
- Reducing the delays in releasing those from custody where a custody disposal decision has been made
- Improvement of cleaning provision
- Enhancing our recording standards in relation to the rationale for strip searching and constant observations
- Visible leadership across our custody centres
- Continue engagement with NHS Boards to enhance healthcare provision

Several of the outstanding recommendations are complex and require cultural and structural change, in addition to transformation of the custody estate and new, innovative digital solutions.

Work is on-going to develop a model for custody provision which will then become the driver for a programme of change under Custody 2030. This will be delivered through various workstreams aligned to technology, resourcing model, estate and training however this is transformational change which will take time.