Police chief pushes back on 'custody suite closures'

Top cop admits cells shut temporarily when resources aren't available

- KEVIN DYSON

Ayrshire Police chief Suzanne Chow has pushed back on claims that custody centres close on specific days, but admitted they can shut when resources aren't available.

The Chief Superintendent was responding to Independent Councillor Stephen Ferry who said he 'understood' that there were custody centres in Ayr, Kilmarnock and Saltcoats.

He said: "What I’m hearing is that they're not open 24-7, they close on certain days.

"And what I’m also hearing is that prisoners are having to be taken to Glasgow now because of the restrictions in Ayrshire.

"So [officers] are travelling to Glasgow with prisoners, and they're away from Ayrshire for a considerable amount of time before they're back on patrol."