Inspectors found children held longer than necessary for minor offenses in Glasgow custody centers, raising concerns.
The inspectors reviewed records from July 2024. They found some issues with holding kids too long. Five times, kids aged 13-17 stayed longer than needed. This was just for minor things. Three 14-year-olds were held for more than six hours. One stayed over ten hours! Another, twelve hours!
A 13-year-old was held over six hours. A 16-year-old stayed overnight, more than nine hours. None of these kids were waiting for court. The report noted the offenses were minor. Also, the records didn’t show supervisors approved this. It seemed like no one was watching these decisions.
The inspection looked at conditions for those detained. Craig Naylor wants better oversight for kids in custody. He said staff try to limit child arrests and time in custody. But, the records showed some inconsistencies.
Kids stayed too long! This seemed wrong, given the offense. It didn’t fit policy and could hurt the child. The records lacked good reasons for the delays. The inspectors found inconsistent risk assessments, and they also saw problems with care plans.
Quality checks of practices were lacking too. This was flagged before, and needs fixing. These issues matter for Glasgow, but also other places. Police Scotland should think about it for everyone. Govan Police Station was one of the stations inspected.
Wendy Middleton from Police Scotland said they’ll look closely at it. They have cut down on younger kids in custody. Fewer older kids stay over 24 hours, she added. She says they don’t want kids in custody longer than needed. It’s a priority for them.
Police custody isn’t right for kids, she said. They’re working to find alternatives.