Custody Concerns lead to new working group in Essex

DUE to concerns around what we perceived to be imperfections around the custody world, Essex Police Federation decided to form a Custody Sub-Committee, writes Ian Howitt.

Our main concerns were Athena and the shift patterns, where officers and staff were encountering many duty changes, which had a negative effect on their lives. In addition, the performance of Athena caused great concern.

As a consequence the Custody Sub-Committee was set up. I am joined on it by Sgt Dave Beverley (we are both serving custody officers), Insp Sue Heaton (custody inspector), Insp Gary Lane and PC Ross Wheeler and PC Craig Wheeler.

Having officers on the committee who are not in the custody arena allows a differing perspective from those within.

Our Work So Far
Since then, as a committee we have made great strides in addressing the issues raised, to the point we were able to approach the Chief Constable recently to tell him of our concerns about the continued poor performance of Athena.

The issues raised were of great concern to Mr Kavanagh and as a result, he has requested some work to be conducted to try to alleviate the problems. This work is ongoing.

In addition, negotiations have continued apace with our command to try to establish a better shift pattern. Again, these talks are ongoing.

We have also helped in the recent Performance Review and Inspection Meeting (PRIM) and HMIC inspections. We are establishing a working relationship with our counterparts in UNISON, as many of the issues that affect our members also affect our detention officers.

We will continue to raise the concerns our colleagues make to us in order to try and improve our working environment.

See more in our annual report: http://essexfedfocus.co.uk/?p=3496