A time of transformation for Custody

GMP’s Custody branch is undergoing a period of intense change and transformation, with a significant investment having been made in staffing and leadership in recent months to meet the demands of an increased number of detainees entering Custody.

These changes will allow seven to eight Custody suites routinely operating across GMP by mid-August.

One of the most visible elements of this investment has taken place over the past two months, with the launch of a significant recruitment drive to uplift Custody staff numbers.

The first Custody Sergeants training course concluded in mid-June, at the same time as the second course commenced.

This recruitment and training drive will provide an extra 32 Custody Sergeants to the branch by the end of the summer.

In addition, there will be eight substantive Custody Inspectors recruited, while a major recruitment process is under way to boost our number of Custody Detention Officers (CDOs) by 28.

Chief Superintendent Richard Timson said: “This uplift in staffing is fantastic news – it will support improvements in welfare and wellbeing in the branch, and it will also ensure that GMP’s Custody provisions have the capacity to effectively handle the current trajectory of increased detainee demand.

“This investment in new staff is very much welcomed and will have significant benefits across GMP.”