Annual report 2011: Spain’s National Preventive Mechanism The provision of used blankets is unacceptable, even if they are not dirty Complaints about this were made at the interviews held 71.  Linked to the provision of clothing in cells, uneven criteria were also observed in regard to the provision to and use by detainees of blankets and mattresses. At some establishments, e.g. the GC barracks in El Ejido (Almería), the mattresses were observed to be in poor condition. At some of the establishments inspected it was reported that detainees were provided with a clean blanket at the time of admission to the cells, but elsewhere they were provided with blankets already used by other detainees if the custodial officers felt that they were acceptably clean. This same shortcoming was observed on inspection visits this year to the Central Registry of Detainees in Madrid and the Primary Assistance and Detention Centre for Foreign Nationals in the port of Almería, both of which are run by the CNP, and at the local police stations in Berja (Almería), La Carolina (Jaén) and Valverde del Camino (Huelva). The Ombudsman insisted in all these cases that the practice of providing detainees with used blankets, even if they are not dirty, was unacceptable on grounds of hygiene, as already stated in paragraphs 61 and 108 and elsewhere in the Annual Report 2010. Complaints in this regard were received from some of the detainees interviewed. At the Central District station of the CNP in Madrid two detainees complained that they had been cold in the night, and that although they requested another blanket they were not given one. A female detainee in the same establishment complained of the smell of the blankets and mattresses. Similar complaints were made by detainees at other establishments. A detainee interviewed at the Central Registry of Detainees in Madrid stated that “whether or not you get a blanket depends on which officer is on duty”. State of the mattresses at the GC barracks Photo 26 in El Ejido (Almería) 84    THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN