The custody suite at Bolton Central Police Station was shut months after it reopened as a result of concerns raised by inspectors from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The team from HMICFRS came to the custody suite as a part of an inspection of all eight such suites in Greater Manchester, which identified six significant causes of concern and more than a dozen other areas for improvement.

According to a report published on Wednesday (February 8), the custody suite at Bolton Central Police Station closed for three weeks as a result of some of these issues, understood to be in relation to the condition of the cells and the existence of ligature points, or anything to which material could be attached for the purposes of hanging.

Given the inspection was between August and October of last year, it means the closure was a matter of months after the custody suite reopened at the site on Scholey Street in April 2022.

The suite was reopened five years after controversially being closed and was said to be 'a site that is well placed to support' policing in Bolton.

The Bolton News:

The six significant causes of concern across Greater Manchester included a lack of leadership and a lack of attention to the legal requirements of detention and the treatment of detainees.

There were issues relating to the dignity and to the safety of detainees, with the inspectors seeing one case of a person left alone in a cell although it was soiled, and another case of a person left naked in a cell for some 10 hours.

READ MORE: Bolton: Trio sentenced for ram raid on shop in Northwich.

And there were also issues relating to the supervision of medicine management for those on medication and to the surveillance of use of force.

In response to these causes of concern, as well as more than a dozen other areas for improvement, GMP said it appointed Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane to oversee the implementation of the recommendations by HMICFRS. It also appointed additional inspectors and sergeants, with some of the recommendations implemented already.

ACC McFarlane said: "It is my utmost priority to quickly address these issues and put in place measures which enable our custody staff to do their job effectively, professionally and to the highest standard possible.

"It is important to recognise that this report consistently acknowledges the hard work our custody staff and officers do, particularly for those who come into custody with mental health issues, whilst working in what can be a very difficult and volatile environment.

"GMP’s improvement plan has seen the force become the most improved in the country, and our strategy to be more proactive in arresting people and getting criminals off our streets has created additional demand on our custody resources and capability, which I am here to address. 

"We cannot and will not stop arresting people who cause a blight on our communities, however, no matter how busy our custody suites are, we must ensure we are treating people fairly and with dignity. 

READ MORE: Bolton: Man arrested after incident on Newport Street.

"We have not waited for the report to be published to take action and we are already very much on our way to addressing all areas for concern, including robust leadership and oversight, increased scrutiny on use of force and anti-rip clothing, enhanced measures to secure medication, and thorough regular review and auditing procedures to ensure compliance and professionalism.

"I have already personally met a significant number of our custody suite staff and I firmly believe with the right leadership and working practices in place, we can and will improve our service level, and support our force as we arrest more people and get criminals off the streets and through the criminal justice process."

The outcome of the inspection is a blow to GMP, which came out of two years in special measures at around the same time it was completed. It comes against the backdrop of a big increase in demand on custody suites, with 47574 people detained in the 12 months up to September 2022 as opposed to 33280 people detained in the same period a year earlier.

As well as in Bolton, there are custody suites in Ashton-under-Lyne, Bury, Cheadle Heath, North Manchester, Pendleton, Swinton and Wigan.