Interviews of vulnerable people without appropriate adults
Police officers detained and interviewed vulnerable suspects without an appropriate adult present more than 100,000 times last year in England and Wales, according to a charity report.
The failure by officers to provide assistance, chiefly to those with mental illness, autism or learning disabilities, leaves them at risk of miscarriages of justice, the National Appropriate Adult Network (Naan) has warned.
The survey, which reveals marginal improvements on similar research four years ago, reinforces calls for the Home Office to create a statutory duty to provide help for vulnerable adults in police stations.The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) has endorsed the report and called on the Home Office to make provision of appropriate adults for all vulnerable suspects a statutory responsibility for local authorities.Manchester police defend prosecution of two mentally ill peopleSince 1998, there has been a duty for all children in police custody to be supported by an appropriate adult, who can be a parent, social worker, or someone with whom the suspect is familiar.
There is no such statutory duty on local authorities, however, when officers deal with those over 18 and deemed to be in need of help.Naan coordinates training and sets standards for those who safeguard the rights and welfare of the vulnerable when detained or interviewed by police.Based on police figures, the report concludes that in 2017/18 at least 111,445 detentions and voluntary interviews of vulnerable adults took place without an appropriate adult being present.For full article https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/31/report-raises-alarm-over-police-detention-of-vulnerable-suspects-national-appropriate-adult-network
