Pot noodle won’t do say detainees

Thursday 13 March 2014

A report into the treatment of Islanders in custody has shown that not all detainees are happy with the choice of food on offer.

Last year Independent Custody Officers made 37 unannounced visits to the custody suite at Police Headquarters to check on the well-being of detainees and make sure they were being treated fairly and with their human rights respected.

On the whole they were happy with their treatment by custody staff. Some complained about needing extra blankets, wanting something to read or the temperature of their cells and most of these were dealt with by the custody team straight away. But there were complaints about the food and the report highlights that not everyone is happy to eat a pot noodle.

Police say there are no facilities to make food on the premises so if detainees aren’t happy with the basic food on offer, a custody officer will pop out to get them something like a sandwich. It’s paid for using the custody budget.

This is the second report produced by the Independent Custody Visitor Scheme since it was set up following a proposition by the former Deputy of St Martin Bob Hill.

The Scheme’s team of 13 volunteers are members of the local community, recruited by the Home Affairs Department, but independent of both the Home Affairs Department and the States of Jersey Police.

The aim of the scheme is to provide transparency and confidence that the Police are acting in accordance with legislation covering the treatment of detainees.