PACE Codes of Practice

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/24/6735 

Version Date: 26/07/2024

The Criminal Justice Custody Department have provided the following information.

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. My request pertains to the Codes of Practice for people in custody, as provided under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the accompanying PACE Codes of Practice.

According to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, specifically Code C, detainees in police custody are entitled to access the Codes of Practice that outline their rights and the procedures that must be followed by the police. In light of this provision, I would like to request the following information:

Number of Copies of Codes of Practice:

Please confirm the number of copies of the PACE Codes of Practice held within each custody suite for which your police force is responsible.

Readily available:

Barnstaple – 7

Camborne – 4

Exeter – 13

Newquay – 20

Plymouth – 6 

Torquay – 6

More can be printed off if required.

Easy read leaflets also available

Each centre will be receiving 20 new copies currently being ordered.

Requests for Codes of Practice:

Please provide the number of times the PACE Codes of Practice have been requested by someone in custody within each custody suite over the past three years.

This is the total count from 15th November 2022 when we changed operational systems and implemented NICHE.

We are unable to provide details prior to this date.

 For clarity, I am referring to the Codes of Practice that detainees are entitled to read and refer to during their time in custody, as mandated by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its associated Codes of Practice.