Women and girls ‘humiliated’ in custody

A “damning” inquiry into claims of mistreatment of women and girls by Greater Manchester Police has uncovered further evidence of people being “humiliated” in custody.

A report by Dame Vera Baird KC heard from 12 women and two men, some of whom were victims of domestic abuse but were themselves arrested after making complaints about their partners.

Dame Vera’s report heard from one woman who said she had been choked by her partner until passing out, before ending up being arrested and subjected to a “demeaning” intimate body search.

The report – commissioned by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – made a series of recommendations to ensure “more humane and dignified treatment” of detainees.

GMP issued a long response to the report, and a force statement said: “We have apologised and accepted the recommendations”.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “The issues raised in Dame Vera’s report speaks to a period when our custody system was under pressure and not performing to an acceptable standard.”

The inquiry was prompted by a Sky News investigation which featured three women who had complained about their treatment in custody.

One of them, Zayna Iman, alleged she had been strip searched and sexually assaulted by custody officers, although she did not formally engage with the inquiry.

Dame Vera said in total 14 people – 11 women and three men – gave evidence to the investigation.

One woman, recalling a strip search, told the inquiry: “The only reason they did what they did was to degrade me. If I was a man, I don’t think they would’ve done it. I was treated like a piece of meat.”

Dame Vera said it was “of concern that in a number of cases in this inquiry where there is a continuing dispute, the police appear to have supported one side and taken criminal justice action – in particular, arrest – against the other party.

She said GMP officers needed to be trained to ensure they “recognise and manage the effects of domestic and sexual trauma on survivors”.

The force should “avoid victims’ arrests by recognising that victims reporting domestic or sexual abuse, facing counter-allegations, or reacting to a poor police response may be revisiting trauma and require care”, she said.

Dame Vera said it was also vital to “avoid the escalation of incidents involving abuse survivors through physical contact with male officers”, adding: “It should, where possible, always be preferable for any necessary physical contact with women to be done by female officers”.

The report’s conclusion was that “many of these arrests were unnecessary or unlawful”.

It continued: “In cases at the lower levels of alleged criminality, the balance should favour avoiding both the risk of poor impact on arrestees and the risk to public confidence from such arrests.”

The report also recommended a major overhaul of the way the force uses strip search and intimate body searches.

It said: “From now on in GMP, if any strip search is contemplated, the detainee must be asked whether they have something with them they know they would not be allowed to keep, to give the detainee the option of offering items up.”

It also recommended strip searches should never be used on children if avoidable, and if it was unavoidable, that an appropriate adult should be present.

Former GMP detective Maggie Oliver described the inquiry as “another damning indictment of one of the country’s largest police forces”.

She said: “Dame Vera Baird’s explosive report reveals a shocking disregard for rights of those coming into contact with the criminal justice system.

Ms Oliver, who has since founded The Maggie Oliver Foundation – a charity supporting adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, said: “Many of those arrested were vulnerable women and we say that this constitutes a very serious abuse of power.”

Chief Constable Watson said: “These issues are of the utmost importance and highlight the need to maintain the highest professional standards. These must reflect our duty, and moral obligation, to respect and uphold the dignity of all detainees but with a particular focus on women and girls.

“I know some of the questions this inquiry set out to answer have not yet been answered and some of these relate to allegations that have caused understandable shock and concern.

“These matters are all subject of continuing independent investigation and GMP will continue to provide the fullest assistance to those charged with establishing the truth.”