THAMES Valley Police has announced it will be bringing its custodial services back in-house from the end of March.

At present, all detention officers working at the force's eight custody suites are employees of service delivery company Noonan, and that contract ends on March 31.

After 'considering the risks and opportunities of possible in-house or outsourcing options' the Chief Constable’s management team have decision to bring the force’s custodial services back in-house.

In August, the force announced it had painted one of its custody cells at Abingdon pink.

Speaking about the decision, head of criminal justice Supt Barrow-Grint said: “We will be working closely with Noonan over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition of services.

“Bringing our custodial services in-house is a big decision for the force and it will require a lot of work to deliver this by the end of March 2019. I believe that the change will provide us with the opportunity to standardise our processes and procedures across our Custody Suites and enable us to respond to national and local changes."

All current detention officers will become employees of Thames Valley Police.

Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld added: "This is an important decision that will ensure value for money for local taxpayers as well enabling Thames Valley Police to operate the most effective custody service, keeping the public and detainees safe."