Victorian police cells nearly full, cops may be forced to bail criminals to ease load

VICTORIA’s prisoner custody system is at breaking point, with police cells nearly full. The Herald Sun understands the crisis reached a peak on Tuesday, when ­almost every police cell in the state ­was occupied.

VICTORIA’s prisoner custody system is at breaking point, with police cells nearly full.

The Herald Sun understands the crisis reached a peak on Tuesday night, when ­almost every police cell in the state ­was occupied.

There are now fears police will be forced to bail accused criminals because they have nowhere to keep them.

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Police say they are regularly required to transport offenders from Melbourne as far as Wangaratta to find them a cell.

The crisis is being blamed on a crime crackdown, with tough new bail laws resulting in an explosion in the number of remand prisoners.

It has also thrown the justice system into chaos, with dozens of prisoners missing scheduled court hearings sparking long delays in matters being finalised.

Victoria’s Police Commissioner Graham Ashton, speaking on 3AW this morning, said: “We are shuffling prisoners all over the state.

“It is certainly what you don’t want. We are at cell capacity at the moment.

“It is a problem it comes back again and again.

“We try and reduce the backlogs. You find yourself back in that system again.

“We need to get Corrections Victoria to take the prisoners.

“We have people doing their entire sentence in the police cells which is not good.

“We can’t offer the services Corrections Victoria provide.”

Magistrates have warned that by mid-2019 the system will be unable to manage a ­further increase in the number of remand prisoners.

There are fears police may be forced to bail prisoners due to overcrowding. Picture: AAP

Assistant Commissioner Debra Abbott yesterday confirmed: “The number of prisoners being held in police cells is currently very high, and on Tuesday we experienced some capacity issues.

“Victoria Police is required to manage prisoners as a result of arrests, remands or initial sentences, and to accommodate the scheduled appearance of prisoners before the courts.

“There has been a significant rise in the number of prisoners in police custody for a number of reasons, including increased police activity in ­arrests and remands; increased focus on the execution of warrants of apprehension; arrests from targeted operations; a focus on recidivist offenders; and changes to bail laws.”

Minister for Corrections Gayle Tierney denied police cells were full statewide.

“We make no apologies for our new bail laws and investment in police — and we’ve put plans in place to manage growth in the system,” she said.

“Police cells aren’t at ­capacity — unlike what happened under the chaos of the former Liberal government.”

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt says the system is flawed. Picture: AAP

But Opposition police and corrections spokesman Ed O’Donohue said the situation was unacceptable.

“Police are already stretched and now with police cells full, more police time is wasted ferrying prisoners around the state while justice is delayed for victims of crime because Daniel Andrews can’t get prisoners to court,” he said.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the current process of managing prisoners in custody was flawed, and overly reliant on police-managed resources.

“Prisoners in police custody should only remain in basic police facilities for the shortest possible time, after which they should be transferred into the control of corrections staff at corrections facilities,” he said. He also called for new ­remand facilities in Melbourne.

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