Join West Yorkshire's Custody Detention Scrutiny Panel

Arresting people and bringing them into custody is an important part of how the police do their job. The police are required to secure and preserve evidence, obtain forensic samples and keep victims and survivors of crime safe by imposing conditions.

When police officers make an arrest, they understand that it is an event of real significance for a person and can lead to lasting trauma.

The Custody Detention Scrutiny Panel plays an important role in supporting the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to hold the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police to account on both good and poor practices that impact people detained in custody.

As a member of the Panel, you will:

• Work with key stakeholders to provide independent assurance, transparency, and scrutiny on activity within police custody environments
• Objectively and independently review matters of disproportionality such as strip searches, use of force, length of detention, and access to services.

The scheme covers all five West Yorkshire areas; Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

The Panel meets at least four times a year at venues across West Yorkshire during the working week.

All panel members are eligible for reasonable travel and expenses payments in line with similar volunteering roles with the Combined Authority, such as Independent Custody Visitors.

We are seeking people from all walks of life who may be established scrutineers, people with lived experience of custody and/or disproportionality; community leaders/advocates, subject matter experts or anyone who may have experience effectively challenging and questioning information to make balanced, reasonable and proportionate judgements.

Panel members will be supported to ensure their voice is empowered and is heard.

Successful applicants are appointed for a minimum 2-year period and must:

• Be over the age of 18.
• Live, work or study in the West Yorkshire area.
• Be able to travel to attend meetings across West Yorkshire during the working day.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from under-represented communities.