- 58 133. The CPT has long stressed that custodial staff in pre-removal centres should be carefully
selected and receive appropriate training. Staff should possess well-developed qualities in the fields
of interpersonal communication and cultural sensitivity, given the diverse backgrounds of the
detainees. At least some of them should have relevant language skills. They should also be taught to
recognise possible symptoms of stress reaction displayed by detained persons and to take
appropriate action. Further, the presence of both male and female staff can have a beneficial effect
in terms of the custodial ethos and foster a degree of normality in a place of detention. The presence
of female custodial staff members should be guaranteed in all establishments accommodating
female detainees.
The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take the necessary steps to ensure
that these precepts are effectively implemented in all pre-removal centres.
134. As regards foreign nationals’ contact with the outside world, in all police stations visited by
the delegation, mobile phones were systematically taken away by the authorities in line with the
relevant Police Regulations. Although the delegation was told by the duty officers in several police
stations that detainees were allowed to access their mobile phones in order to collect contact details
of relatives or even to make a phone call in the presence of a police officer, many foreign nationals
interviewed by the delegation complained that this possibility had not been granted to them in
practice. Consequently, contact with the outside world had been made practically impossible for
indigent persons in most of the police stations visited, despite the presence of card phones.
By contrast, the CPT welcomes that, thanks to a pilot project, all detained persons had full
access to their mobile phones with cameras and could connect to a Wi-Fi network for at least
several hours a day at Amygdaleza Pre-removal Centre.88 Further, at Fylakio RIC, foreign nationals
could access the Internet for several hours a day. This measure clearly had a positive impact on the
foreign nationals’ well-being and reduced tensions, as it provided both an occupation and allowed
them to keep contact with their families. In contrast, access to the phone was severely restricted at
the other pre-removal centres visited. While only mobile phones without a camera were admitted at
Fylakio and Pyli Pre-removal Centre, access to card phones was severely restricted at Fylakio and
there were no such phones at Pyli. Access to mobile phones was only granted twice a week at Moria
Pre-detention Centre and all card phones were out of use.
The CPT wishes to recall that most foreign nationals concerned were neither convicted nor
suspected of a criminal offence other than that related to their migration status. Bearing this in
mind, the CPT reiterates its recommendation that the Greek authorities permit foreign
nationals held by the police in pre-removal centres to retain their mobile phones and that the
relevant Police Regulations be amended accordingly.
Further, the CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take steps to ensure that all
foreign nationals are able to make telephone calls in all police stations and pre-removal
centres and that those detainees without the financial means to pay for them are offered at
least one free-of-charge telephone call per month.
88
According to the police commander in charge of the facility, the project was a success and did not cause any
problems. That said, the delegation received many complaints about the weak Wi-Fi signal that was
insufficient for the number of detainees who wanted to connect.
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