Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has conducted a recent impact assessment of Operation Safeguard.
Operation Safeguard is a contingency measure that provides additional headroom for use if prisoners cannot be accepted from the courts or police custody. It is a temporary measure to provide a short-term solution.
As of 16 October, there were 1,467 occasions where police cells, across 28 police forces, were used in Operation Safeguard, during 2023. The average time offenders have been held in these cells is 12.69 hours.
When Operation Safeguard is active, tactical and operational governance reviews take place at regular intervals, as agreed with police partners. HM Prison & Probation Service engages frequently with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure that action taken under Operation Safeguard does not hinder delivery of other services.