INDEPENDENT POLICE CUSTODY SCRUTINY PANEL
South Yorkshire Independent Police Custody Scrutiny Panel
The Policing and Reform Directorate at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is establishing an Independent Police Custody Detention Scrutiny Panel to provide independent oversight of South Yorkshire Police’s custody practices. The initiative aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and public confidence in how detainees are treated in police custody.
Panel Meetings and Processes
One pilot panel meeting was held in January 2026 with a further second phase pilot being held in May 2026.
The panel reviews custody processes and data to ensure detention is lawful, necessary, proportionate, and respectful of dignity, focussing particularly on:
- Disproportionality and equality considerations
- Access to rights and welfare in custody
- Treatment of vulnerable groups, including children and women
- Use of force, strip searches, and anti-rip clothing
Panel members act as a critical friend to South Yorkshire Police, offering constructive challenge, support and recommendations for improvement.
The aim is for meetings to be held quarterly with the Panel reviewing anonymised custody data, custody records and CCTV. The Panels operate under strict confidentiality criteria.
The pilot meetings have so far been made up of people from across a range of partner organisations independent of the police but following the pilots, the aim is for the membership of the panel to be opened to members of the public from communities across South Yorkshire. Further information about getting involved in the panels will appear here shortly.
Meeting Notes and Action Logs
One of the aims of the panel is to strengthen transparency and accountability. Therefore, notes and action logs from the panel meetings will be published here following each meeting and are available on the links provided.
January 2026
Getting involved
For further information about the custody scrutiny panel please email policingandreform@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
You may also be interested in volunteering as part of the Independent Custody Visitor Scheme - more information can be found here: Independent Custody Visiting Scheme
