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‘Are the property of Acer Security Services and not accessible to you without a warrant.’
‘But surely there’s someone here who might recall these two boys?’
The woman took a long breath and folded her hands in front of her with an air of extreme patience. ‘Inspector, when we took over Welton Hall, we were faced with, excuse my language, a shit show. The facility was built to house two hundred young offenders and at that time held almost double. Prisoners were sometimes confined to their cells for up to twenty-one hours a day, with access to very little support or education.’
‘Never thought borstal was supposed to be fun,’ Bryant observed.
‘And I thought most of the dinosaurs in the police service had died out,’ she said pointedly. ‘No one calls it that any more. The first borstal opened in Kent in 1902. They were run by the prison services and were invented to reform young offenders. Luckily the system was abolished in 1982 and replaced with Youth Custody Centres.
‘The old system was based on routine, discipline and authority. Because of course that will solve all of life’s problems.’
‘So why was this place still so far behind the times when you took over seven years ago?’ Kim asked.
‘The regime was the same as a prison but with a lower staff-to-offender ratio. It’s much easier to keep inmates locked up when you haven’t got enough staff.’
‘I’m hearing a but in your voice.’
‘It only delays the violence. Kids locked up with no hope are the same as kids wandering around with no hope, except they’re angrier. Let them all out and it’s like opening a bottle of cola after it’s been in the washing machine. It’s going to pop.’
‘Don’t three quarters of offenders re-offend within a year of being released?’ Bryant asked.
‘Or you could say that a quarter of them don’t,’ Kirk offered. The woman hadn’t struck Kim as being a cup-half-full kind of person. ‘Which is a statistic we are working continually to improve. Here at Welton, the inmates receive at least twenty-five hours of education per week, and there are opportunities for prisoners to undertake work in Community Service volunteer schemes.’
Kim wasn’t interested in all the kids. Just two. ‘But Eric and Paul…?’
‘I can’t discuss anything further about particular cases. The records were transferred to our care when we took over seven years ago, and we adhere to data protection diligently.’
‘And there’s not one member of staff here who might recall these boys?’ Kim asked again, hoping she’d warmed up a little.
‘All the old guards were given notice. We didn’t want anything left of the former regime. New broom and all that.’
‘Kitchen staff? Admin?’
She shook her head.
It wasn’t the crime or conviction information she was concerned about. She had that from the PNC. Even juvenile records didn’t disappear until the convicted reached the age of a hundred.
What she needed was intelligence. What had they been like? Had they known each other well? Who had they hung around with? Had they been remorseful for the crimes they’d committed?
The PNC wasn’t going to tell her any of that.
‘Is there no one?’ Kim pleaded.
Kirk sighed heavily. ‘Well, maybe the youth justice officer. He wasn’t someone we could dispense with. LennyBaldwin. Worked out of Wolverhampton, I think.’
‘Thanks for all your help,’ Kim said, standing.
‘You’re welcome. Happy to assist,’ she said, not registering the sarcasm. ‘So, are we done?’ Kirk asked, seeing them to the door.
‘Not even close,’ Kim said. ‘You’ll definitely be seeing us again, and next time we’ll be bringing a court order.’
FORTY-FOUR
‘Little bastard,’ Stacey said.
‘Is that any way to talk to your bestie?’ Alison asked from the doorway.
‘Hey,’ Penn said, looking up long enough to give the behaviourist a wave.
