“An inappropriate confusion of roles,” says Parliamentary Ombudsman Aage Thor Falkanger.
The National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Ill-treatment (NPM), a unit of the Parliamentary Ombudsman), regularly visits places of detention, such as prisons, policy custody facilities, psychiatric institutions and child welfare institutions. Such visits can be made with or without prior notice.
On 2 February of this year, the NPM made an unannounced visit to Lillestrøm police station, which houses Romerike Police District’s primary custody facility and has 10 cells.
The NPM’s report from the visit to the custody facility in Lillestrøm will be published today.
“The overall impression from the visit is that the police custody facility is soundly managed and well run,” observes Parliamentary Ombudsman Aage Thor Falkanger. Among the positive findings in the report is that the police apply a low threshold for bringing detainees who are unwell to the local accident and emergency unit.
However, both interviews with police representatives and staff at the accident and emergency unit and a review of the custody records and detainees’ patient records indicate that the police and accident and emergency unit staff regard medical examinations as a way of obtaining “clearance” for detention.
“It is important to distinguish between forensic work for the police on the one hand and the provision of medical care on the other. The accident and emergency unit should ensure that it does not perform medical examinations that are – or are perceived as being – an approval of stays in police custody facilities. In performing their duties, police officers must respect the role of doctors as independent health care givers. Among other things, this is laid down in the UN’s Principles of Medical Ethics of 1982,” says Aage Thor Falkanger.
Cells are small and dark
The NPM found that as many as three or four detainees sometimes have to share a cell measuring six square metres. “Even though this is the exception, such arrangements should not occur. In these cases, the police should consider releasing prisoners,” observes the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The report also notes that cells have no daylight, and that none of them have a clock, making it difficult for prisoners to distinguish between night and day.
A fall in the number of young people being detained
Statistics provided by the police show that minors are being detained in police custody facilities less frequently, and that their stays are of shorter duration than they used to be. In 2013, a total of 30 children were held in police custody, compared to 16 in 2014. Close and effective cooperation between the police and the child welfare services – which share the same building – often makes it possible to avoid the detention of minors.