Prisoner-packed police stations cause concern

Photo / File

EXCLUSIVE: A cop was assaulted by an aggressive remand prisoner being housed at a police station because of a spike in inmate numbers - caused in part by stricter bail laws pushing the number of people in custody to record levels.

The latest incident comes after the Herald revealed in January that some police stations were being used as "mini prisons" because of an unexpected overflow of inmates over the Christmas and New Year period.

The issue is causing growing concern among frontline cops, and the Department of Corrections is investigating the cause.

The Herald has learned that a police officer and non-sworn jailer were assaulted by the prisoner at the Henderson station last Sunday afternoon.

It is understood the officer was elbowed in the face and the jailer sustained a leg injury during the incident but neither required medical treatment. The prisoner, who became aggressive after police confiscated contraband from his visitor, has been charged with assault.

A source said the remand prisoners were creating "significant risk" for police and Sunday's incident was proof of that.

"The risk is extreme, both to the police staff and the prisoners. Often prisoners go for days without exercise, seeing daylight or any stimulation and are made to sit in their cells and do nothing... they become very angry and difficult to manage which is (causing) extreme risk with the police staff."

But Waitemata District Commander Superintendent Bill Searle maintained the station had
appropriate facilities to hold remand prisoners for short periods.

"Depending on demand, this at times may mean a higher number of remand prisoners are being held," he said.

"However, police has escalation plans in place to manage increases in prisoner numbers, which includes bringing in more staff as required to ensure a safe ratio of staff to prisoners."

Mr Searle said police would continue to support the Department of Corrections who were "leading the work to manage the issue".

Corrections national Commissioner Jeremy Lightfoot said a seasonal spike was "normal" especially after the holiday period. But this spite exceeded the Ministry of Justice prison forecast.

"We had an unprecedented rise in remand numbers over Christmas 2014. The Justice Sector Forecast has accurately predicted a drop in numbers every year, however, this year that didn't eventuate. We are working with Justice and our own research teams to understand the cause of this," he said.

"There are a number of factors leading to the current spike in offenders being remanded in custody, however, the primary reason are the changes to the law around bail whereby people who have committed violent offences or are on particular drug charges cannot be bailed.

"The inflows into the prison system have not changed, but less people are being bailed."

Mr Lightfoot said Corrections worked to ensure no prisoner was held in police cells for longer than is absolutely necessary. On average they were moved within 24-72 hours.

"Corrections has... robust contingency plans to ensure that all prisoners are appropriately housed, even in situations where remand prisoner numbers are fluctuating. We are confident in our ability to manage prison muster fluctuations. We work closely with police to ensure that remand prisoners held in police custody are appropriately managed... we will continue to make use of local police cells when appropriate," he said.

The opening of the Auckland South Corrections Facility in May would ease pressure on police.

"In total the facility will provide 960 beds when it's fully operational. This is in the area that beds are needed most," said Mr Lightfoot.

What is a remand prisoner?

• Someone held in custody while they wait for their trial or sentencing.
• A remand prisoner could be held in police cells, court cells, psychiatric facilities or prison.
• About 20 per cent of the people in prison are on remand.
• People on remand are kept separate from sentenced prisoners, in units or wings only for remand prisoners.
• Any time spent on remand is taken off a person's total sentence time.