How the States of Jersey Police use Widgit Symbols to enhance their custody provision

The main purpose of using Widgit Symbols is to improve our custody provision to all detainees. In an environment which can often feel daunting and stressful, understanding police custody information and procedures can be difficult, particularly for people with learning difficulties, disabilities, or young individuals. Our specially designed symbols pack was created to support detainees with specific needs during their time in custody, helping them understand their rights, entitlements, and other custody processes.

The current process of booking persons into custody and issuing PACE-compliant rights and entitlements remains unchanged, however with these symbolised information sheets, we can now cater for those individuals who may need assistance in understanding custody procedures.

A large proportion of people who come through our custody suite are vulnerable to some degree. Examples of individuals who may benefit from these materials include:

• Juveniles
• Autistic individuals or people with ADHD
• People suffering with mental health (suicidal tendencies, depression, self-harm)
• People who abuse substances
• People with dyslexia / difficulties with reading and writing
• People with low IQ, and / or general learning difficulties
• People who are visual learners
• People with English as an additional language (EAL)
• Agencies / partners working with these detainees such as Appropriate Adults (AAs)
• Duty Lawyers, Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs), Force Medical Examiners (FMEs)

So far, we have only used Widgit Symbols within our custody suite. Once embedded, we can consider implementing across other areas of government, including the courts.

This was useful recently when we had a heightened young autistic person in custody. Not only were the symbols effective in providing easy-to-understand information, but they also provided distraction which helped to deescalate the detainee.

Widgit Symbols are valuable as they empower police custody teams to support individuals in crisis during detention, allowing for better care and understanding of important custody information. In turn, this helps to prevent and reduce escalation, forging better relationships between custody staff and detainees. Use of these information packs in custody not only provides vulnerable and / or juvenile detainees with greater access to information and procedures, but also aligns with the States of Jersey Police Corporate Parenting Plan. This ensures we respect the care rights of children and young people in our custody suite by providing them with age-appropriate information.

I would recommend Widgit to other police forces. I have had a good journey with Widgit; they are helpful and adjusted the symbols for the States of Jersey Police, as some parts of the legislation were different to our jurisdiction. This was never a problem, with staff always available to offer guidance, with several amendments made until the symbols were exactly as we wanted them.