A prisoner custody officer (PCO) is, in England and Wales, a person employed by a private contractor, under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, responsible for the movement of detained adults, as well as children and young people, between custodial establishments under Sections 80–84 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
PCOs are either based in courts, or vehicle bases, and have the powers to search prisoners and use reasonable force when necessary. Officers are responsible for the transport of all prisoners, except Category A or restricted status prisoners, which are managed by HM Prison Service. As of December 2024, the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contracts are held by two private companies: GeoAmey and Serco.
Powers and duties
Legal powers Prisoner custody officers may search prisoners, and any other person seeking to visit a prisoner in court. They also have the powers to use reasonable force where necessary to prevent prisoners from escaping custody. Officers must be adequately trained in first aid and basic life support.
In England and Wales, escort services are outsourced under the Ministry of Justice's Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contracts. Since 1992, the staffing and management of court custody suites and prisoner transportation services have been outsourced to private contractors GEOAmey and Serco.
Duties
Court custody PCOs deployed to court settings are responsible for the secure detention of defendants within the court. Their duties extend from the court cells and secure corridors to the courtroom dock. Upon a defendant's arrival, officers conduct risk assessments, log personal property, and manage welfare requirements, including access to legal counsel, food, and medical care. Physical infrastructure, such as the fabric and furnishing of court custody facilities, is maintained by HMCTS.
Inside the courtroom, the PCO's primary function is to prevent escape attempts, self-harm, and physical altercations, while maintaining order during proceedings. Officers are required to sit directly with defendants in the dock, particularly for trials involving high-risk individuals or multiple co-defendants.
Prisoner transportation
The transportation of individuals between prisons, police stations, and courts is reliant on specialised cellular vehicles. These vehicles, often modified vans with individual secure cells, are equipped with tracking systems and climate control. PCOs managing these transits are responsible for maintaining security during the journey and executing formal custody handovers at destination points.
The PECS system—where vehicles collect multiple prisoners from various locations—has led to delays at one collection point impacting court start times across a region. For this reason, Transport for London and other local authorities have allowed PECS vehicles that convey more than nine people to drive in bus lanes. In October 2026, it was reported that traffic lights would be altered to prioritise prisoner transport vans taking defendants to court.
Children and young people Children and Young People in legal detention are usually held in non-cellular locations and always escorted by either an Enhanced Custody Officer (ECO), or a Dual Badge Officer (DBO), who receive supplementary training for working with children and are subject to additional background checks.
Uniform and equipment PCO uniforms typically consist of white or light blue shirts, clip-on ties, dark trousers, and high-visibility jackets or branded with the operating contractor's logo (Serco or GeoAmey). Unlike police officers, PCOs wear ID badges marked with "Prisoner Custody Officer" to prevent public confusion regarding their legal powers.
Equipment
Restraints and protective gear PCOs are legally authorised under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to use reasonable force and restraint equipment to prevent escapes or maintain order during transit and within court cells. Standard issued equipment includes:
Handcuffs: Officers are equipped with standard rigid bar or chain handcuffs for secure escorting. Keychain: Those based in court custody suites and prisoner transport vans have keys to unlock cell doors. Ligature cutters (known as a Fish Knife): This enclosed blade knife is carried to cut through ligatures and preserve the lives of prisoners who attempt self-harm and suicide.
Body-worn video cameras (BWVC): To record incidents and deter violence against staff, Serco has introduced personal body cameras across its entire PECS fleet to record incidents. Riot equipment: PCOs are frequently issued stab-resistant body armour and riot shields to protect against sharp objects or improvised weapons during close-quarters handling.
Cellular vehicles The PECS transport fleet features custom-built secure transport vans featuring individual prisoner cells, climate control, and systems allowing communication between the cab and the operational control centre. Vehicles are monitored via GPS tracking and have driver panic buttons linked directly to the central operations control room to alert emergency services in the event of an ambush or vehicle escape attempt.
Controversies
Fraud and contract mismanagement In 2013, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) placed its PECS contract with Serco under administrative supervision after an audit revealed irregularities in performance data. The investigation found that Serco staff had been recording prisoners as "ready for court" when they were not, a practice used to falsely meet performance targets.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) opened an investigation into the matter, alongside a separate inquiry into overcharging for electronic tagging. In December 2013, Serco agreed to repay £68.5 million to the government and underwent a "corporate renewal" process. The City of London Police concluded their specific investigation into the prisoner escort contract in December 2014, and found no evidence of a corporate-wide conspiracy to falsify figures.
Health and safety concerns
Prisoner attacks on staff Concerns have been raised regarding the safety protocols and training provided to PCOs, following fatal incidents involving both staff and prisoners. In June 2015, Lorraine Barwell, a 54-year-old Serco PCO, was beaten to death while escorting a prisoner to a waiting van at Blackfriars Crown Court. Serco was fined £2.25 million in May 2023 after pleading guilty to health and safety offences; the court found that the company had failed to assess the risk of violence and provide adequate staffing (22 officers were present instead of the required 32).
In May 2017, a GeoAmey officer suffered severe injuries to his hand during an incident at Southampton Crown Court whereby a defendant allegedly slammed a door onto the officer's hand. In October 2024, a cyber attack disabled the tracking devices and panic alarms on Serco's prisoner transport vans. Reports revealed that drivers operated vehicles for up to three days without realising their security systems were offline.
Escapes and deaths in custody In March 2024, prisoner Sean Williams died of a heart attack inside a Serco van outside Thames Magistrates' Court. An inquest concluded in February 2026 found that PCOs had delayed providing medical aid for 17 minutes after Williams began fitting, failed to use the vehicle's emergency button, and did not use a face guard when eventually attempting CPR. The jury concluded that Serco's training was inadequate, contributing to the failure to preserve life.
In 2026, two significant escapes occurred within a week: on 28 May, a prisoner escaped custody during a transit stop in Hertfordshire, severely injuring two escort staff before being struck and killed by a train nearby. On 8 June, another prisoner escaped from a van in Woolwich after assaulting a PCO.
Delays to court proceedings A 2026 report by the Bar Council found that delays to court proceedings were causing the adjournment of ongoing trials. The performance of PECS contractors is monitored against government targets; failure to present defendants to the dock on time can result in financial penalties for the provider. Sir Brian Leveson's Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings is set to recommend reforms to the PECS contract and the wider criminal justice system to help with the backlog of court cases.
See also Court security officer (England and Wales) Prison officer
References
Sources
External links
Moving and transporting detainees — College of Policing Prisoner Escort and Custody Services — Ministry of Justice