- 54 97. The CPT’s delegation was informed that the special riot police unit (M.A.T.) has, on occasion, been requested to enter prisons to conduct cell searches or to quell disturbances. Several prisoners alleged that during such searches, for example at Korydallos Men’s Prison at the beginning of April 2013, members of the riot police had used disproportionate force on prisoners, including blows with batons, even after the prisoners were handcuffed and offered no resistance. The CPT understands that following the disturbance of 22 March 2013 at Trikala Prison, police officers were stationed inside the accommodation wings of the establishment for more than a week during which they conducted a series of cell searches. Allegations were received that these cell searches were used as an excuse to mete out beatings to prisoners as a punishment for the events of 22 March, regardless of whether the prisoners had been involved in the disturbance or not. The CPT’s delegation met a prisoner at Korydallos Men’s Prison, who had recently been transferred from Trikala Prison and alleged that he had been severely beaten with truncheon blows by members of the riot police at the end of March, while they were carrying out a search of his cell; he stated that he had offered no resistance. When examined by a medical member of the CPT’s delegation, he displayed several extensive bruises (up to 20 cm in length) on the inner thighs and abdomen, which were consistent with his allegations of having been struck repeatedly with a truncheon (see also paragraph 126). The remarks and recommendation already made in paragraph 66 above concerning interventions by external units apply equally in the context of interventions to deal with disturbances in prison establishments. Further, the CPT recommends that the Ministry of Justice, together with the Ministry of Citizen Protection, develops a protocol regulating the use of police units during cell searches and ensures its enforcement. The CPT would also like to be informed whether any action has been taken to investigate allegations of physical ill-treatment by police officers in the context of their interventions at Trikala Prison in late March 2013. 98. As regards inter-prisoner violence and intimidation, the delegation observed that this was a serious problem in all the prisons visited. Several cases of hospitalisation of inmates due to severe injuries inflicted by other prisoners came to the attention of the delegation. The existence of this phenomenon is directly linked to shortages of staff, resulting in control being ceded to groups of particular prisoners, often formed along ethnic lines, within the accommodation wings. These groups intimidate, bully and physically abuse other prisoners. This problem is not new, and had already been raised in previous CPT reports59, and needs to be tackled urgently by the Greek authorities. At Korydallos Men’s Prison, the delegation noted that there were usually only one or two custodial officers in charge of a wing holding some 400 prisoners. It is obvious that in such conditions a prison cannot fulfil its minimum obligation of keeping prisoners – and staff – safe. The recent killing of a Polish inmate by other prisoners is illustrative of this fact. Many inmates reported to the delegation that staff do not usually intervene when there are fights between prisoners, but leave them to “sort it out” between themselves. 59 See for example CPT/Inf (2012) 1, paragraphs 53 and 54; and CPT/Inf (2010) 33, paragraphs 95 and 96.