2.6.2.2. Working group on suicide prevention Due to a suicide, a suicide attempt and several self-inflicted injuries, the competent commission conducted announced visits to the Innsbruck police detention centre. Suicide (attempts) at the Innsbruck police detention centre According to a statistic provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there were two suicides and 13 suicide attempts in police detention in 2014. In the first half of 2015, there were two suicides and five suicide attempts in police detention. Most of those involved were persons in administrative detention, i.e. persons who were detained on the order of the public security service or a judge in accordance with the rules of criminal procedure of the public security service and temporarily held in a police detention centre or a police station. The time between being brought in and the suicide (attempt) was very short in each case. After examining the incidents in the Innsbruck police detention centre, the commission formulated several proposals on the topic of suicide prevention. In doing so, it made reference to the recommendations of the CPT on suicide prevention (see CPT standards, p. 38, margin nos. 57 et seq.). According to them, preventive health care in detention facilities should also include suicide prevention measures. In the opinion of the CPT, medical examinations upon arrival of the prisoner and the admission procedures play an important role in this regard. If they are properly conducted, they can at least identify some of the vulnerable prisoners. In addition, staff should be made aware of the signs of suicide risk – regardless of their jobs. This implies that a training session on recognising such signs should be conducted. Recommendations of the CPT regarding suicide prevention A person who has been determined to be at risk for suicide should be kept under special surveillance for as long as necessary. Such prisoners should not have easy access to objects with which they could kill themselves (window grates, broken glass, belts or ties, etc.). Moreover, the responsible parties should take steps to ensure a functioning flow of information regarding persons recognised to be potentially suicidal. This applies both within a facility and between various facilities or their health services. With respect to detention facilities for immigration detainees, the CPT advocates access to medical care and that particular attention be paid to the physical and mental condition of asylum seekers (see CPT standards, p. 64, margin no. 31). Of course, a good understanding of the language is necessary to assess this condition. At present, there are no uniform nationwide guidelines for suicide prevention in police detention. The examinations by the commission revealed that, despite all of their efforts, the measures taken by the police detention centres were not sufficient to identify which prisoners were suicidal. The NPM recommended that the Federal Ministry of the Interior draft a decree to minimise the risk of suicide among prisoners. Issuing uniform guidelines 125