WILTSHIRE police’s first ever ‘One Night In Custody’ social media feature took place over 8-and-a-half hours, with a live tweetathon from their Melksham custody suite.
“The event saw live tweets published through the night shift – from 10pm on Saturday 24 February to 6.30am on Sunday 25 February – featuring all the comings and goings in Melksham, as well as Gablecross custody suite in Swindon.
“During the night, we had a number of detainees, including several arrested on suspicion of drink driving.”
Custody Sergeant Martin Alvis said, “This was the first time we’ve had a live tweetathon from our custody suite and it’s been a really good insight into a side of policing that isn’t very often seen, unless of course, you’ve been arrested.
“Although a relatively quiet weekend compared to some more recent night shifts, it’s been a really great opportunity to show the public exactly what the team in custody do on an average Saturday night and highlight some of the challenges we face.
“It’s a challenging and demanding role running a custody suite and the teams we have here do a fantastic job of keeping check on the detainee’s welfare, as well as booking them in quickly in sometimes difficult circumstances.
“We had some really great engagement with the public during the shift and I hope people found it a useful insight into life in custody.”
During the night, they had arrests for drink driving, drunk and disorderly in a public place, assaulting a police officer, common assault and aggravated vehicle taking.
Sgt Alvis added, “It’s disappointing to see so many people arrested on suspicion of drink driving, despite the numerous warnings about the dangers posed to other road users. We would continue to urge people to report anyone they suspect of drink/drug driving via 101, or 999 in an emergency and we will do everything we can to put offenders before the courts.”
As well as the live tweetathon, the police also shared a number of interviews with their custody officers and staff online. You can read them here – www.wiltshire.police .uk/article/1695/One-Night- in-Custody
To see exactly how the night shift panned out, visit Twitter, and search @ wiltshire police
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