FEDERAL ARMED FORCES AND CUSTOMS lation software for his mobile phone so as to be able to communicate more easily with refugees. Nonetheless, Passau Federal Police Station was insufficiently equipped either to cope with the number of refugees needing to be registered or to take persons suspected of being involved in illegal people smuggling into custody. Although at the time of the visit in June 2015 refugees were being registered in a function hall and the conditions there were adequate, upon the delegation’s arrival several people were being accommodated in two rooms in the station which were unsuitable. There was no means of providing the refugees with drinks, only a washbasin was available in each room. The rooms also did not have an intercom, which is why those being detained there had to knock or call out to draw attention to themselves. In addition, one of the rooms had no chairs, only four mattresses on the floor. The room was not suited to providing decent accommodation for ten people over a period of several hours in some cases. Equally, the Federal Agency deemed the custody conditions in Passau Federal Police Station of those arrested on suspicion of an offence not to be consistent with human dignity. Not only did the custody room have an open toilet – at the top end of the plank bed – which was visible through the lattice door to the room. The visiting delegation also found that two people were being accommodated in what was supposed to be a single-occupancy room and that they had been detained there overnight. A mattress had simply been placed next to the plank bed for the second person to sleep on. This meant there was no room for these two people to stand up or move around. It must be emphasised that the officers were aware that the situation was inadequate, and that they allowed the detainees to use a toilet outside of the custody room. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Passau Federal Police Station has since moved into new premises. The Federal Agency found that some of the other stations it visited still do not have smoke detectors or dimmable lighting. Further, officers still do not always knock before using the peepholes in the doors to those custody rooms which have a visible toilet. Equally, some did not keep the custody record books up to date and did not instruct those taken into custody about their rights as they are required to do. 1.2 – FORCED RETURN FROM LEIPZIG TO BELGRADE On 16 December 2015 the Federal Agency monitored a forced return by air carried out by the Federal Police on behalf of Thuringia, during which 106 people were flown from Leipzig/Halle Airport to Belgrade. The Federal Agency saw no occasion to make any recommendations, though it must be noted that the measure had not yet been completed at the time of this Annual Report going to press. 2 – FEDERAL ARMED FORCES AND CUSTOMS The Federal Agency visited the detention suite in the “Am Goldenen Steig” Barracks in Freyung and the customs boat “Helgoland”, which is part of Itzehoe Main Customs Office. themselves. The Federal Ministry of Defence informed the Federal Agency that on account of the provisions applicable to detention in the Federal Armed Forces and the fact that no final decision has yet been taken on which bases where detention is enforced are to be closed in the course of the reform of the Federal Armed Forces, detainees cannot be given the possibility of regulating the lighting in their detention rooms themselves. However, it also informed the Federal Agency that it is considering whether night lighting can be fitted in order to reduce the danger of injury at night. 2.1 – “AM GOLDENEN STEIG” BARRACKS, FREYUNG As is the case on other Federal Armed Forces bases, detention has been enforced only rarely in the “Am Goldenen Steig” Barracks since compulsory military service was abolished. The last recorded case was in 2014, and before that in 2010. The conditions of detention were nevertheless good, which is why the Federal Agency had no recommendations to make in this regard. However, it maintains that detainees in the Federal Armed Forces must also be able to regulate the level of lighting in their detention rooms 2.2 – CUSTOMS BOAT “HELGOLAND” No detention has been enforced on the customs boat “Helgoland” since it was taken into service in 2009. The detention suite should nevertheless be 23