THE conditions for those in police custody in Waltham Forest are "reasonably good", an inspection has found.

The report by the HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Constabulary comes after it paid an unannounced visit to the borough's detention centre in Boreham Close, Leyton, which opened in October 2010.

The watchdog found that the site was clean, management was good and that staff were all properly trained.

Inspectors also said the rights of those in custody were upheld well and that there was support for those with substance abuse problems.

But they said there was a lack of monitoring over the use of force against detainees, in common with other custody centres, and that arrangements for making complaints were poor.

Religious books such as the Bible and Qur’an were stored in a "disrespectful" way and there was found to be no mental health service.

At the time of the visit, earlier this year, the borough was in the middle of a pilot scheme with the borough Newham to share its custody facilities.

Inspectors said it was a positive initiative but better co-ordination and communication was needed between staff from the two different areas.

Nick Hardwick, chief inspector of prisons, said: “Overall, custody provision in Waltham Forest was reasonably good.

"This report sets out a small number of recommendations that we hope will assist the Metropolitan Police Service and Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to improve the delivery of custody in the Borough Operational Command Unit further.

"We expect an action plan to be provided in due course.”

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