According to official sources, the department had a detention capacity of 20 beds in 2012. However the National Committee for Human Rights and the Greek Ombudsman (in 2011) and the CPT (in 2013 and 2020 reported the detention capacity to be 15 people, based on the number of concrete plinths on which detainees sleep in three cells. According to administrative documents, the total size of the detention area is 126 square metres.

The 2020 CPT report states that no detainees were held at Metaxades in the two years prior to the Committee’s visit. Administrative documents recording expenses for detainees’ food suggest the facility has been operational once again since 2020.

During the CPT’s visit in 2020 no detainees were held in the cells and they were reported to be ‘clean and in an acceptable state of repair’. In its previous visit in 2013, the CPT described the cells as having poor natural and artificial lighting, while mattresses and blankets were found to be dirty and detained people had insufficient access to hygiene products. An Amnesty International report published in the same year noted that there were no toilets inside the cells and detainees had to be granted access by a police officer, while there was also a lack of hygiene products. There was no access to outdoor spaces. The National Committee for Human Rights and the Greek Ombudsman reported similar issues in 2011. Some of the earliest reports on this department concern the detention of minors.

The detention facilities of the Border Guard Department of Metaxades were renovated in 2012. The renovation and some operational expenses were co-financed by the EU External Borders Fund (EBF).