Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training for staff working in police custody suites in the North East.

The Government is committed to preventing deaths in or following police custody, including suicides both in custody and following release.

The College of Policing sets the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s 'Vulnerability in Custody' training package, launched in 2022, seeks to improve the consistency and quality of custody training, focusing on identifying vulnerability and managing risk.

In addition, the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework teaches officers to assess vulnerability and amend their approach as required, incorporating autism, learning disabilities and mental health.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, in co-operation with the National Police Chief’s Council and College of Policing have recently produced guidance on preventing suicides in and following police custody. Chief Constables, custody officers and other policing leaders should carefully consider this guidance and implement its recommendations where appropriate.