POLICE STATIONS large number of washable, flame-resistant mattresses be acquired and made available to detainees, in particular those taken into custody at night. Response: Detainees who remain in police custody in Berlin for more than four hours are transferred to Tempelhof, where sufficient mattresses and bedding are available. Only those who are detained on account of excessive consumption of narcotics remain in Berlin City Police Custody for any length of time in individual cases. Taking this into account, the facilities available in Berlin City Police Custody are deemed to be adequate. In addition, where necessary additional equipment can be transferred at short notice. The exemplary information sheet for detainees is available in English, Turkish, Arabic, Polish and Russian. The Joint Commission would welcome the information being made available in other languages as well, ideally in the same ones in which information under the Code of Criminal Procedure is available. Response: The number of languages is regarded as adequate. Should another language be required in an individual case, professional interpreters can be called in at any time. Nevertheless, the police in Berlin will look at the first six months of 2013 and will provide additional translations if these are required. It is not regarded as expedient to have forms available as a precautionary measure if they are not in fact needed. The same procedure will be applied to the information sheet handed to juveniles. and other staff. It was not able to talk to the only person in custody at the time of the visit on account of the state this person was in. Afterwards the Joint Commission asked for additional information to be passed on regarding three incidents which occurred in custody, though it found no reason to make any recommendations. 2.2.1 – Positive findings Berlin City Police Custody gave the impression of being clean and well organised overall. For example, officers have set up a board in the watch room on which they enter the names of those people being detained in the cells and indicate any peculiar conduct using magnets, for example risk of suicide, alcoholic state. This is an example of a simple and affordable measure which enables detainees at risk who require special attention to be identified during shift changeovers, for instance. The information forms for detainees detained in custody under police law are very detailed and easy to understand. Particular mention should be made of the information sheet given to juveniles, which is exemplary. Other positive aspects are the permanent presence of a doctor at night and the fact that Fixierung (physical restraint) is not used. Staff working in the custody suite take part in a oneweek training course every two years. The course also addresses issues specific to police custody, such as learning and consolidating intercultural skills. 2.3 – KONSTANZ, SINGEN AND FRIEDRICHSHAFEN POLICE STATIONS The Joint Commission visited Konstanz and Singen police stations on the night of 31 May 2013. It paid a second visit to Konstanz Police Station on the night of 1 June 2013 and visited Friedrichshafen Police Station on 2 June 2013. The Joint Commission spoke to officers in all the facilities it visited, it inspected the custody suites and was given access to the custody record books. There was no-one being held in custody at the time of its visits. Singen Police Station has seven, Konstanz Police Station 10 and Friedrichshafen Police Station five single-occupancy detention rooms. The Joint Commission visited Konstanz Police Station twice, as on its first visit it was only given access to the station around one hour after arriving there. The Joint Commission therefore broke off the visit, since it could no longer be classed as being unannounced. The next day, by contrast, it was granted access to the custody suite without further ado. 2.2.2 – Recommendations of the Joint Commission and response of the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sports None of the detention rooms was fitted with a fire alarm. In the event of fire, detainees have to shout out to get officers’ attention. According to officers, the detention rooms are checked every 15 minutes. Further, the detention rooms did not have a night light. Without dimmable light detainees only have a choice between bright light or total darkness once the outer door is locked. Whilst bright lights stop them sleeping, they cannot find their way around easily in the dark, which is why they cannot locate the intercom quickly in the event of an emergency, leading to a risk of injury. Response: Fire alarms are currently being fitted in Berlin South-West Police Custody. There are plans to fit such fire alarms in other custody facilities in Berlin. The recommendation regarding night lights is being examined and will be successively implemented. The custody suite only has one mattress for use in all of the detention rooms. It is recommended that a 74