FOI 19907-25 Custody photographs

Request:

Gloucestershire police at their Gloucester Detention Centre insist that all arrested detainees must wear a grey top before they are photographed in custody so that 'we all look the same'. Under the FOI Act I would like to know your rules/protocol in regard to this. Is a detainee required to wear certain clothes before they are photographed?

Response:

Northamptonshire Police usually photograph detainees in the clothing that they are wearing at the time that they are brought into custody, and detainees continue to keep their own clothing on throughout their time in custody.

A detainee would only be provided with police issued custody clothing if:

1) A detainee’s own clothing was seized as evidence;
2) A detainee required additional clothing, for example they were cold and required a sweatshirt;
3) The custody sergeant had undertaken a risk assessment and determined that there were safety concerns with the detainee’s own clothing, for example their top had cords in it and the risk assessment had recommended that the detainee should not have cords in their cell.