Police in Devon and Cornwall have welcomed a new report from the National Police Chief’s Council showing a nationwide reduction in the use of police custody cells as a place of safety for those suffering mental illness.
Historically, police cells have been used to house those people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. The Government announced earlier this year...
Five children are locked up overnight in Devon and Cornwall Police cells each week, figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (14 October).
New research by the charity shows that there were 285 overnight detentions of children aged 17 and under in police stations across the region during 2011.
The total across England and Wales was 40,716 – which...
