PFD report

Michael POULTON · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 13 Feb 2023•Wiltshire and Swindon

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

View original report
Concerns
3

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
4

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised3

  1. Lack of money for people taken into Police custody to return to their home address
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable safe-return arrangements after police custody release
  2. Lack of means for people taken into Police custody to communicate with family
  3. Lack of ready access to transport for people taken into Police custody to return to their home address
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable safe-return arrangements after police custody release
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.3

  1. Action

    Provide training on the schemes to all new Custody Sergeants.

    Stated by Wiltshire PoliceStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 24 February 2023.
  2. Action

    Implement the Ring B4 U Bring Scheme to capture detainees’ essential return-home information from arrest onward.

    Stated by Wiltshire PoliceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 February 2023.
  3. Action

    Implement the Vulnerable Detainee Transportation Scheme, including risk-based public transport assessment, funded taxis and police transport home for the most vulnerable detainees.

    Stated by Wiltshire PoliceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 February 2023.

Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action.1

  1. Position

    Implemented detainee transportation schemes fully address the identified safety issues, so no additional measures are proposed.

    Stated by Wiltshire PoliceExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of money for people taken into Police custody to return to their home address

Wider context from the report

“(1) People are being taken into Police custody, some distance from their home address, without having any money or means of communicating with family, or ready access to transport from the custody suite, to their home address. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable safe-return arrangements after police custody release.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of means for people taken into Police custody to communicate with family

Wider context from the report

“(1) People are being taken into Police custody, some distance from their home address, without having any money or means of communicating with family, or ready access to transport from the custody suite, to their home address. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of ready access to transport for people taken into Police custody to return to their home address

Wider context from the report

“(1) People are being taken into Police custody, some distance from their home address, without having any money or means of communicating with family, or ready access to transport from the custody suite, to their home address. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable safe-return arrangements after police custody release.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Provide training on the schemes to all new Custody Sergeants.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Training on these schemes will be given to all new Custody Sergeants.”

Source location

Response from Wiltshire Police
Page 2 · response
Published 24 February 2023

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Implement the Ring B4 U Bring Scheme to capture detainees’ essential return-home information from arrest onward.

Verbatim wording from the response

“In anticipation of the closure of Melksham Custody in February 2023, Wiltshire Police (‘the Force’) have developed and implemented a scheme entitled the Vulnerable Detainee Transportation Scheme.”

Source location

Response from Wiltshire Police
Page 1 · response
Published 24 February 2023

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Implement the Vulnerable Detainee Transportation Scheme, including risk-based public transport assessment, funded taxis and police transport home for the most vulnerable detainees.

Verbatim wording from the response

“In anticipation of the closure of Melksham Custody in February 2023, Wiltshire Police (‘the Force’) have developed and implemented a scheme entitled the Vulnerable Detainee Transportation Scheme.”

Source location

Response from Wiltshire Police
Page 1 · response
Published 24 February 2023

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Implemented detainee transportation schemes fully address the identified safety issues, so no additional measures are proposed.

Verbatim wording from the response

“In anticipation of the closure of Melksham Custody in February 2023, Wiltshire Police (‘the Force’) have developed and implemented a scheme entitled the Vulnerable Detainee Transportation Scheme.”

Source location

Response from Wiltshire Police
Page 1 · response
Published 24 February 2023

Open published response

Other statements in published responses

These actions and other statements could not be clearly connected to one concern in this report.

Recipient-stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.1

  1. 1

    Disseminate scheme details Force-wide through E-Briefs, workforce briefings and the accessible SharePoint intranet.

    Stated by Wiltshire PoliceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 February 2023.

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Disseminate scheme details Force-wide through E-Briefs, workforce briefings and the accessible SharePoint intranet.

Verbatim wording from the response

“I can also confirm that details of these schemes have been disseminated Force-wide via the Corporate Communications team’s E-Briefs, as well as being highlighted to the Chief Inspector and Inspector cohorts, Custody Sergeants, Detention Officers, Variable Hours Detention Officers and Custody Co-ordinators.”

Source location

Response from Wiltshire Police
Page 2 · response
Published 24 February 2023

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026