Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she gives to (a) police forces and (b) West Lancashire police on the necessity for manned telephone services for inquiries about people who have been arrested.

PACE Code of Practice C provides that a person with an interest in a detainee’s welfare who enquires about the detainee’s whereabouts may be given this information if:

a) the detainee agrees; and

b) the rules that allow the information to be withheld do not apply.

When a detainee exercises their right to free legal advice, the solicitor assigned by the Defence Solicitor Call Centre is expected to contact the police station by telephone and speak to the detainee.

Within each individual police force, Chief Officers are responsible for implementing the necessary operational procedures to deal with these telephone enquiries.