Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) volunteers

Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) are members of the local community who volunteer to visit police stations unannounced to check on the treatment and welfare of people held in police custody.

Our scheme holds policing to account and protects detainees' human rights, especially those at risk such as young people, people with mental health needs, or those with language barriers. Our volunteers help build trust between the public and the police, and make a real difference to how justice is delivered.

The scheme consists of panels across London who meet and discuss visits conducted by panel members. Our panels meet once a quarter and we ask our volunteers to dedicate one day a month to their role. Our volunteers receive full training during their on-boarding, and they also have opportunity to attend training facilitated by the MPS and IOPC for a variety of key issues such as strip search. Our volunteers also can choose to sign up to receive credits which provides them with an array of benefits for completing work within their role.

If you have any questions or would like to informally discuss the role please let us know upon enquiry.

What skills do I need?

The ideal volunteer will need to have the following :

A good listener

Have a knowledge and awareness of diversity and equality issues

Flexible, reliable and have enough time to carry out the Custody Visiting role.

Objective, impartial, non-judgemental and able to constructively challenge when necessary

Portray a positive image of themselves and the organisation.          

Good communications skills, both oral and written.

Effective Communication

Respect for Race and Diversity

Team Working

Planning and Organising

Resilience  

To be able to maintain confidentiality

Requirements of applicants:

You must be 18 years or over. For vetting purposes you must have resided in the UK for the last 3 years. Your appointment as an independent custody visitor is subject to successful clearance by the MPS Vetting Department. Applications from servicing police officers, police staff, members of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, or serving Magistrates will not be considered to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Applications from persons who have retired from these roles or who are involved in other areas of criminal justice may be suitable for appointment and will be considered on their own merit.