Police detention centres
enables detainees to store items in a way that prevents unauthorised access by
other persons.
The discussion, which was still ongoing at the time of completing this report,
revealed that in some police detention centres, it was not possible to install
lockable boxes due to lack of space. The Federal Ministry of the Interior finally
promised to examine the technical alternative of smaller lockable containers
to determine their feasibility. The NPM will monitor progress and report on
this matter.
It should be noted in this regard that the Federal Ministry of the Interior
initially stated that it had ordered the installation of boxes in the cells at
Innsbruck police detention centre. However, in July 2017, the Federal Ministry
revised this intention since the cells lacked the space needed for the boxes that
had been delivered. During a follow-up visit, the NPM confirmed this fact and
criticised the incomprehensible procedure for obtaining the boxes.
Towards the end of the year under review, the working group addressed the
protection of non-smokers as well as smoking during detention (cf. Section 14
of the Detention Regulation). The working group concluded that an absolute
prohibition on smoking in police detention centres was not desirable. There was
agreement that the measures to protect non-smokers should differ depending
on the form of detention (open or closed detention):
Protection of nonsmokers
According to the results of the discussions so far, corridors and common rooms
in the open detention stations of all police detention centres should be nonsmoking zones in the future. Smoking should only be allowed in cells used by
prisoners who smoke. The unlocked doors of these cells should be kept closed
due to smoke emission.
In the closed detention stations of the police detention centres, there should be
a ban on smoking except in cells used by smokers. Such a prohibition is also
intended for the visiting rooms of all police detention centres. For both forms
of detention, it should be ensured that non-smoking prisoners are only held in
detention with other non-smokers, if desired. The NPM will monitor and report
on the progress of this discussion.
The standards developed by the working group thus far should be implemented
by the Federal Ministry of the Interior as quickly as possible in the form of
decrees, amendments to internal guidelines or to the Detention Regulation or
by taking physical measures (e.g. structural adaptations).
147
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