Greater Manchester Police's custody services require urgent improvement, say government inspectors. A report reveals there are not enough staff to make sure prisoners are safe, inmates are sometimes left naked in cells, children are being detained unnecessarily and the monitoring of the use of force by officers is not good enough.
Inspectors have made six recommendations regarding main causes of concern, and highlighted a further 13 areas for improvement. They say not there has not been enough progress since recommendations were made in a 2016 inspection, and "significant concerns remain."
These include a lack of senior-level oversight for custody services. The report says GMP's priority under new Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, to tackle crime and increase arrests has led to an increase in demand for cells as the number of detainees rises.
