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Police Custody: Wales

Volume 468: debated on Wednesday 28 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on how many days police custody suites in (a) Wales, (b) Dyfed-Powys police area and (c) Pembrokeshire have been used to accommodate prisoners in 2007; (166247)

(2) how many prisoners have been accommodated in police custody suites in (a) Wales, (b) Dyfed-Powys police area and (c) Pembrokeshire in 2007;

(3) how many cells in police custody units in (a) Wales, (b) Dyfed-Powys police area and (c) Pembrokeshire are reserved for prisoners. [Official Report, 20 February 2008, Vol. 472, c. 7MC.]

The number of places provided by police forces for Operation Safeguard use may vary according to operational pressures. On 16 November 2007 there were 38 places available for Operation Safeguard use in Wales. No places were available in Dyfed Powys police force area or in Pembrokeshire.

The following table shows the number of nights between 22 January and 20 November 2007 that police cells were used in Wales, by Dyfed Powys police force and in Pembrokeshire for Operation Safeguard, and the number of occasions prisoners were held; one occasion means one prisoner night in a police cell.

Nights

Occasions

Wales

231

4,182

Dyfed Powys

125

615

Pembrokeshire

80

332