- 28 Further, male and female detainees were often placed in the same detention area, albeit in different cells; for example, at both the Athens Omonia Police Station and the Thessaloniki Kordello Border Guard Station the cell for female detainees is exposed to the cells used by male detainees. At Siderokastro Police Station, male detainees were only obstructed from watching female detainees making use of the sanitary facilities by cardboard and paper tucked between the bars of their cell. A similar lack of privacy for female detainees was observed at Patras Mavromateon Street and Chios. 53. Many police and border guard facilities did not even guarantee the basic needs of detained persons in terms of bedding, appropriate food and minimum levels of hygiene. For example, at Siderokastro Police Station, detained persons slept on the floor as the cells possessed neither beds nor plinths. In several establishments, not all detained persons were provided with mattresses (Patras Police Headquarters, Soufli and Xanthi stations) or blankets (Chios). The arrangements as regards the provision of food in many police and border guard stations also remain inadequate. The daily allowance of Euro 5.87 suffices to buy a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of water, sufficient for criminal suspects remaining a short time in detention, but it does not enable detained persons to purchase the necessary nutrition (and other products) required during prolonged periods of detention. By contrast, in those police stations where food is provided from the police canteen or by a caterer twice a day, the situation is better, although more vegetables and fruit could be provided, especially at Thessaloniki Monasteriou Station. Detained persons also complained generally about the challenge of keeping themselves clean; besides, at best, a limited access to showers, soap and shampoo were provided in limited quantities but other hygienic items, such as toothpaste and toilet paper, had to be bought or obtained from those with money. The lack of hot water meant that the limited clothes possessed by detainees could not be properly washed, thereby further compromising personal hygiene, in particular for those held for prolonged periods. 54. In addition, the establishments visited were often dilapidated - non-functioning toilets (Amfissa Police Transfer Centre, Omonia Police Station), showers out of order (Patras Gounari Street) - and dirty (cells were frequently littered with rubbish and sanitary facilities tended to be filthy). The insalubrity was partly caused by chronic overcrowding and partly by the widespread lack of detergents available to detained persons. In certain establishments, cups of detergents were distributed periodically but not the equipment to carry out the cleaning, such as buckets, mops and brooms. Further, none of the cell areas in the detention facilities visited was equipped with a functioning call bell, and often there was no police officer in the vicinity.