28 police Outdoor exercise and outdoor facilities • The outdoor facilities in police prisons are often very modest and sometimes unsuitable for outdoor activities. In one of the police prisons visited in 2017, the exercise yard was an unfurnished concrete-based space with only a sliver of sky visible at the top. The exercise yard in another, renovated police prison that was visited during the year was a small cage next to the ramp leading up to the police prison. Physical exercise was not possible in the yard and the police prison had no other sports or activity facilities. One of the police prisons visited had no outdoor space at all. The Deputy-Ombudsman stressed that the requirement under the Act on the Treatment of Persons in Police Custody to provide access to outdoor exercise is non-negotiable and the fact that a police prison does not have an exercise yard does not justify a deviation from the rule of one hour of outdoor time. Alarm systems in cells • A police prison had two temporary confined cell-type spaces, neither of which were equipped with an alarm system and one of which did not have camera surveillance. Based on the information obtained and observations made during the visit, the monitoring of the persons deprived of their liberty who were placed in the space without camera surveillance was not systematic or coordinated. The Deputy-Ombudsman stated that both spaces failed to comply with the non-negotiable requirement of the Act on the Treatment of Persons in Police Custody for an alarm system that a person deprived of their liberty may use to contact staff. Follow-up: The police department responded that the plan was to equip the temporary detention spaces with alarm systems in conjunction with the upcoming renovation of the police prison. Owing to delays in the renovation, the police department had prioritised more urgent and pressing alterations, which were scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017. Alarm devices are among these alterations. Prior to such installation, the staff are instructed to place persons deprived of their liberty in other spaces. If this is not possible, the monitoring of the persons detained in these spaces must be regular and systematic.