Chief Inspector Chris Foster reflects on a busy week.
LAST week ended well with a visit to Oakwell to watch a great performance by the Reds.
This is my release, something I enjoy doing out of work, which means I can relax, enjoy the football and spend some time with the family, something which all of us should try and do, especially in such busy times.
My week formally started on Sunday, when I was on duty in Barnsley’s custody suite.
After the previous Saturday night, there were a number of people who were making use of the facilities suspected of a number of offences.
This ranged from people who were drunk and disorderly in the town centre, to people who had been involved in, amongst other things, domestic incidents.
My role was to ensure they were looked after while in our care and also to ensure they were detained lawfully. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act is legislation which guides how we should do this and is crucial to ensuring people are treated fairly.
When I review someone who has been arrested, I discuss any medical issues with them, ensure they have been provided with their rights, including the right to a solicitor, the right to have someone informed of their arrest and the right to read the Codes of Practice which governs how they should be treated whilst in custody.
It is my role to ensure that the investigation is being progressed properly and that someone is not detained for any longer than necessary. Finally, I need to ensure they have been provided with something to eat and drink.
Our custody staff do a great job, often in the face of sometimes difficult, aggressive or upset people. Our facilities at Barnsley are of the highest standard. The role is a hectic one and at one point I even attended Barnsley Hospital to review someone.
On a different note, the High Sheriff visited us and went out on patrol with a couple of my response officers. He went out in the response car and attended some incidents, observing their day-to-day lives.
The High Sheriff’s role is to support the crown and the judiciary and actively lend support and to the emergency services. One of the curiosities of his role, I believe, is that he is allowed a sword for his ceremonial dress.
Thankfully he left it at home on this occasion. In summary, he wrote to thank the officers for their work and I will finish with his words...
“It gives me huge pleasure to be able to write to thank you and all the team for making my visit to the Barnsley station such a memorable one. Thanks to the sergeant and the members of the custody suite for explaining just how their work is planned and facilitated, but above all to two outstanding officers, who both instructed, explained and cared for me superbly.
“I felt very much included in their team, and no part of my questioning went unanswered, but everything was comprehensively explained. If this is how policing is done in South Yorkshire and Barnsley in particular then we should all sleep easier in our beds.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
