4. Rooms for detained persons (PDRs)
4.1. Introduction
In 2016, the NMPT visited 4 rooms located within police units and assigned for placing detained persons or intoxicated persons to sober up106.
There are 333 police detention rooms across the country. Over 50% of them
(186) were visited by the NMPT in the period 2008–2016. The number of
conducted visits made it possible to precisely identify PDRs’ main problems
and reasons thereof. Thus, in 2016 the NMPT visited only a limited number
of such detention rooms located within police organizational units.
4.2. Systemic problems
1. Strategy against human rights violations by police officers
The Ministry of the Interior developed a document entitled Strategy
against human rights violations by police officers, which provides for conducting activities in 10 thematic areas, including: consideration of complaints
against police officers, educational activities, research on police aggression,
and support to victims. In the Commissioner’s opinion, it is necessary to
quickly adopt appropriate systemic solutions that effectively prevent the use
of violence against detainees by police officers during investigation activities
(e.g. interrogation of detainees).
The urgent need for such solutions is confirmed by the currently ongoing
proceeding relating to suspected use of torture (beating, kicking in different parts of the body, use of a taser gun) against a man arrested by officers
of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Olsztyn on charges of drug possession (the case is being investigated by the District Prosecutor’s Office in
Ostrołęka; ref. no. V Ds. 91/15107), and by the NMPT visits to police rooms
for detained persons or intoxicated persons to sober up, held in the period
2011–2015, which identified cases of detainees’ ill-treatment by police officers (e.g. pushing, ear pulling or slamming on the face).
PDRs in: Aleksandrów Kujawski, Busko Zdrój, Płońsk and Krasnystaw.
The issue is still monitored by the CHR; ref. no.: II.519.617.2015.
106
107
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