Teenage serious offenders will continue to be locked in police holding cells until a new youth detention centre is built in Canterbury, a Child, Youth and Family spokesman said yesterday.
They are being held in Christchurch police cells, sometimes for long periods, because the Kingslea youth detention centre is full.
Stephen Ward said there had been a problem in Christchurch for at least a year, but it would be remedied when the new centre was built in Mandeville, north of Christchurch.
"We recognise that holding young kids in adult facilities is less than ideal for all the obvious reasons, including association with adult offenders.
"We are aware of our responsibilities to protect the community, as are the police. When these young people are charged with serious offences, we want them to be in secure care," Mr Ward said.
"If we don't have a space locally or outside Christchurch, they can end up in the police cells and that happens more often than we want in Christchurch.
"At Kingslea we have 20 beds and the [proposed] Mandeville centre will have up to 40."
Kingslea is the only youth justice facility in the South Island.
Police have raised concerns about a 14-year-old boy who spent his seventh night on Monday in a police cell designed to hold adults for only a short time.
Senior Sergeant Colin Campbell said the boy - facing a charge of sexually violating a four-year-old girl in a playground - was one of five youths in the cells on Monday night.
The boy had to spend about 23 hours a day in the cell.
His situation was not unprecedented. Because of the shortage of beds in secure youth units, some youngsters were kept in police cells for two weeks or more, Senior Sergeant Campbell said.
Mr Ward said social workers monitored the boys.
- NZPA
'Full' sign puts teens in cells
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