Police detention centres
communicate with each other through the open tray slots in the cell doors.
The relevant police department has ordered measures to be taken to sensitise
police detention centre personnel to the situation.
In March 2017, the Federal Ministry of the Interior notified the NPM that in
the future, it intends to use Wels police detention centre exclusively for the
detention of asylum seekers after the relevant adaptations have been made.
XX
Asylum seekers should be detained in open detention stations at police detention
centres under the most benign conditions possible in accordance with Section 5a of the
Detention Regulation.
XX
Families of asylum seekers must always be held in detention together. Children must be
provided with suitable toys and items to occupy themselves.
XX
Detained asylum seekers must be actively offered showers upon admission to the police
detention centre.
2.6.7
Inadequate documentation of detentions
During a visit to Steyr police detention centre, the NPM found deficiencies in the
documentation of detentions. For the most part, the electronic documentation
lacked notes regarding detention in padded security cells. In addition, the
form entitled “Detention log II” (“Anhalteprotokoll II”) had no entries and no
signature of the detainee. The purpose of the form is to inform detainees of
their rights and confirm that they have been informed of their rights by their
signatures. Therefore, the NPM asked the Federal Ministry of the Interior to
deal with these deficiencies in documentation.
No proof that detainees
were informed of their
rights
The Federal Ministry conceded that an incorrect cell assignment had
inadvertently been entered in the electronic documentation. The Ministry’s
explanation for the blank Detention log II was that the prisoner had been
uncooperative and aggressive when admitted. However, the Federal Ministry
admitted that this fact should have been documented on the form. Therefore,
an appropriate police station training session was conducted.
During a visit to Hernalser Gürtel police detention centre, a detainee
complained that he did not know why he had been transferred to a single cell.
The commission was unable to derive any clear information regarding the
transfer from the accompanying document. It only contained notes regarding
the cell assignment, which had been revised by hand, and a crossed-out date.
The NPM asked the Federal Ministry of the Interior to inform personnel as to
the necessary care in documenting transfers.
Ambiguous
documentation
regarding transfers
157
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents