- 36 80. Similar to the situation observed in 2016, there was an almost total lack of available interpretation services in all the establishments visited.51 Consequently, police officers and other staff faced significant difficulties in communicating with detainees and understanding their requests and needs. They usually had to rely on fellow detainees who spoke English or Greek. The CPT has long stressed that the use of fellow detainees as interpreters should, in principle, be avoided. This problem was acknowledged by the management in all the centres visited and the Greek authorities, on 3 July 2018, informed the CPT that efforts to recruit interpreters had so far not been successful.52 Further, most foreign nationals claimed that they had signed documents in the Greek language without knowing their content and without having benefited from the assistance of a qualified interpreter. Indeed, all official documents, including detention and deportation orders, were only available in the Greek language and were not translated. This matter must be addressed without further delay. The CPT calls upon the Greek authorities to ensure that, when necessary, interpretation services are made available to detained foreign nationals in all pre-removal centres, RICs and police and border guard stations in Greece (including, for instance, by means of phone-or video-conferencing). To this end, sufficient funding should be made available. Further, detained persons should not be required to sign official documents in a language they do not understand. To this end, a copy of these documents should systematically be provided to detainees in a language they can understand or the content be translated. 81. Custody records consulted by the CPT’s delegation in the police establishments visited varied to a great extent. It is positive that electronic registers were used and very well kept in all four pre-removal centres, at Fylakio RIC and at Soufli Police Station. While paper records were well kept in some police establishments, such as Feres Police and Border Guard Station and Kolonos Police Station, they were poorly kept at Isaakio and Neo Cheimonio Police and Border Guard Stations, with numerous errors or omissions (e.g. missing entries for arrival times or dates and times of transfer or release, etc.). The CPT reiterates its recommendation that the Greek authorities take effective steps to ensure that custody registers are properly maintained, accurately record the dates and times of actual apprehension, admission, placement in a cell, release or transfer, and reflect all other aspects of custody. The Committee also invites the Greek authorities to consider introducing electronic registers in all police establishments throughout Greece. 82. Moreover, none of the pre-removal centres visited had a central incidents register to record security- or health-related incidents. Only when a foreign national committed a criminal offence was a report drawn up and submitted to the competent prosecutorial and judicial authorities. 51 52 Only at Amygdaleza Pre-removal Centre and Fylakio RIC, the Asylum Service and the health-care staff had a permanent interpreter at their disposal. This was not the case for the other centres visited. Only some 15% of announced positions had been filled.