Report calls for police reform

Police safeguards for dealing with suspects with learning difficulties are “patchy and inconsistent”, according to new research.

No One Knows: Police Responses to Suspects with Learning Disabilities and Learning Difficulties, a report published by the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) last week, noted an “increased risk of miscarriage of justice” when people with learning difficulties are taken into police custody.

The report highlighted problems with inconsistent legal advice, lack of training amongst police staff  and patchy provision of ‘Appropriate Adults’, which are in place to support and advise vulnerable people in custody.

It said suspects’ needs are frequently not identified and that there is limited referral of suspects for clinical attention.

The report is part of a wider PRT programme exploring the experiences of people with learning difficulties who come in contact with the criminal justice system.

It recommended that PACE provisions be amended to place a duty on the police to provide legal advice for all suspects with learning difficulties during detention and interviews.

It also called for ring-fenced funding for statutory provision of Appropriate Adults, and a common system across all police forces to screen suspects to identify people with learning difficulties.

People First spokesman Raymond Johnson said: “More has got to be done about the police and the way they treat people with learning difficulties, especially the way they carry out arrests.”

He added: “When you get arrested, everything you say can be used as evidence in a court of law. I think there should always be an Appropriate Adult because when people with learning difficulties come into the station, and police ask them questions, the Appropriate Adults can give them the support they need.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said it would be working with the PRT to take forward the report’s recommendations.

He said: “Many people with mental or physical conditions who are coming into contact with the police rarely, if ever, come into contact with the health service or relevant social care and educational agencies.

"We must get the balance right between healthcare facilities and police stations and ensure that our joint agendas of safer, more secure and healthier communities are met. That is why we are working across Government on initiatives such as the Offender Health Strategy and the PACE Review."