Force upgrades detention facilities
The Force-wide Detention Facilities Upgrade Project is part of the Force's commitment to take care of detained persons and safeguard their human rights, and to improve the working conditions of custody management staff.
In February 2009, the Force established a Custody Management and Detention (CMD) Special Duty Team to conduct a holistic review of custody management. The review covered, among other things, introduction of revised and new procedures to make officers more aware of the Commissioner's obligations to protect the human rights of detained persons. Upgrading detention facilities was a major part of the review to better meet the obligations and comply with the Commissioner's Strategic Direction on supporting frontline units by providing a safer and more hygienic workplace for officers performing custody management duties.
Detention facilities upgrade
A Force Steering Committee on Detention Facilities Upgrade was formed in January this year to take forward an upgrade project with members from Support Wing, Planning and Development Branch, Architectural Services Department and the five land Regions. The committee selected stations for upgrading by phases and monitored the progress of the project. The committee gave a briefing on the project in a meeting for Commissioner Rank Officers on February 1.
Upgrading of detention facilities will take place in 32 police stations with detention cells, plus the San Uk Ling Detention Centre, to improve the conditions of facilities in terms of safety and privacy of detained persons, involving the following items:
* Installation of hot water heaters and shower cubicle privacy doors;
* Enhancement of in-cell toilet privacy walls and metal privacy plates on cell gates;
* Installation of wall-mounted electric fans in individual cells;
* Standardisation of toilet flush system to replace flush pull cords;
* Repainting cell blocks and cell corridors, including a directional sign for persons with religious needs; and
* Installation of notice boards in cell corridors for display of Force notices for detained persons.
The project commenced in February and is scheduled for completion at the end of this year. To strike a balance between operational efficiency and works requirement, improvement works will proceed in five phases. Each phase, lasting a maximum of 90 calendar days, will not involve more than three police stations in each Region.
Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station was selected as a pioneer station for the upgrading works, which was completed on March 30. The noticeably improved conditions are encouraging, and this higher standard will apply to all the remaining stations involved in the project. To give officers a better idea of the project, a link, "Force Detention Facilities Upgrade", has been created in the CMD Webpage on POINT.
The
upgraded
detention
facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station