124.At most of the police stations visited, with the exception of the women’s police station in Asunción and police station No. 9 in Limpio, the detainees had to obtain their own food, either from their families — as observed by the STP during its visits to certain police stations — or by getting the staff to buy it for them. The SPT heard allegations to the effect that staff very often demanded up to 5,000 guaraníes for this service. 125.At police station No. 8 in San Estanislao, where detainees are housed for up to several months, both the detainees and the authorities in charge confirmed to the SPT that the detainees had to obtain their own food. According to the officer in charge, the police station did not have a budget to feed those held in custody for months on end by court order. (c)Access to drinking water 126.Concerning access to drinking water, the SPT found that, with the exception of the women’s police station in Asunción, none of the cells inspected had taps providing detainees with direct access to drinking water. Obtaining drinking water therefore depended on the officers in charge of the detainees. The STP noted that on some occasions the detainees had been provided with a bottle of water in the cell. On other occasions, the detainees interviewed complained of not receiving enough water to drink. (d)Physical exercise 127.Except in those police stations where brief visits to the toilet were allowed, detainees in police stations could not leave the cells while under detention. The SPT received no information from the police about the opportunities for physical exercise and recreation for detainees. The SPT considers that, to the extent possible, those persons deprived of liberty for over 24 hours should be given the opportunity to take physical exercise. The STP noted that most of the police stations inspected had suitable facilities for physical exercise, such as gardens or spacious yards. 128.The SPT considers that the dividing line between prisoners’ dignity and inhuman conditions is often a matter of a modicum of goodwill and a minimum of financial resources. In light of the foregoing, the SPT recommends that : (a) An audit of the police stations holding detainees should be conducted as soon as possible so as to ascertain what improvements can be made to the places of detention at existing facilities, at a modest cost; (b) The audit should be carried out by a multidisciplinary team drawn from the various sectors involved to date in visiting prisons; (c) Material conditions in the cells should be improved immediately, especially with regard to minimum floor space, cubic content of air, lighting and ventilation; (d) Police stations should be given a budget to buy food for detainees, who should receive at least twice a day meals of sufficient nutritional value to maintain their health and strength; (e) Persons deprived of their liberty should be given at least two litres of drinking water a day, systematically and free of charge; (f) Persons deprived of their liberty should be given regular access to toilet and shower facilities, and persons having to spend the night in detention should be given beds with mattresses. The cells should be cleaned regularly by police station staff. The sanitary installations should be sufficient to enable every prisoner to comply with the needs of nature when necessary and in a clean and decent manner; (g) Where possible, persons detained in police stations for more than 24 hours should be given the opportunity of having at least one hour of exercise daily, outside their cells. 12.Health 129.None of the police stations visited by the SPT had a staff doctor. The SPT was informed that detainees were transferred to a nearby hospital in the event of health problems (see paragraph 92 above). The detainees interviewed said that access to a doctor was exceptional and only permitted in serious cases. The SPT is concerned that access to medical care for detainees is decided by police staff with no medical training. The SPT recalls that, in line with international human rights standards, detained persons must receive free medical care and treatment whenever necessary. The SPT recommends that, unless police staff have the necessary medical training to diagnose detainees ’ ailments, they should immediately authorize any request by a detainee to see a doctor. 13.Prolonged detention at police stations 130.The SPT visited police station No. 8 in San Estanislao, where it noted that it was common practice to hold detainees in custody for periods of up to several months, some of whom had been placed in pretrial detention by court order. Despite this, the police station does not have a budget for the maintenance of detainees, who are fed either by their families or must rely on the goodwill of the police staff responsible for their custody. The SPT is concerned at the lack of staff qualified to guard these detainees for long periods, which means that police are forced to perform what is in fact prison work, for which they are not trained. The SPT was informed by members of civil society that this was also the situation in other police stations. 131.On the basis of the registers it checked and the statements of police staff interviewed, the SPT found that police station No. 8 in San Estanislao regularly held women in custody, sometimes for periods of up to several months, despite not having appropriate infrastructure or any female officers to guard them. The SPT was informed that the female detainees were held in a room measuring