Prisoners being held temporarily in police cells in 2023

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.033676

I note you seek access to the following information:

Please could you provide the following under the Freedom of Information Act about prisoners being held temporarily in police cells:

1. How many times in the annual year 2023, up until receipt of this email, has your police force used a cell to house a prisoner?
2. How many prisoners has your police force housed in cells in 2023?
3. What was your police force’s 2023 overtime bill for housing prisoners in police cells?
4. How much has your police force been paid by the Ministry of Justice to provide cells for prisoners in 2023?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - How many times in the annual year 2023, up until receipt of this email 2 November, has your police force used a cell to house a prisoner?

Q2 - How many prisoners has your police force housed in cells in 2023?

Operation Safeguard - This is the formal arrangement and national contingency whereby police cells are made available to support His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), where:
• The prison population is predicted to or has exceeded capacity.
• HMPPS experience a loss of capacity through prisoner riot / disturbance.
• In response to a sudden, un-projected rise in the prison population.

Prison Lockouts - These are where HMPPS has a need to detain prisoners on a short-term basis within police cells prior to processing and transfer to an HMPPS facility.

The MPS has received 109 detainees under Operation Safeguard. In addition, there have been business as usual lockouts. Any business as usual lockouts who were housed in Operation Safeguard reserved cells, are included in the Operation Safeguard numbers. Any lockouts that were not housed in Operation Safeguard cells are not included.

Q3 - What was your police force’s 2023 overtime bill for housing prisoners in police cells?

We anticipate overtime costs of £604k.

Q4 - How much has your police force been paid by the Ministry of Justice to provide cells for prisoners in 2023?

£1,753,637.40 – covers the period until the end of September 2023.