Overcrowding at the central prison is putting increasing pressure on police detention facilities, with some detainees forced to sleep on floors and concerns mounting over hygiene, safety and human rights.

At Lakatamia police station, a detention facility designed to accommodate 40 people is currently holding 77 detainees, according to Phileleftheros.

As a result of the overcrowding, detainees who would normally be allowed into the exercise yard twice a day are instead being kept in their cells for security reasons, contrary to recommendations by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

The pressure has been compounded by convicted prisoners who should be held at the central prison being transferred to police cells because of overcrowding there.

This, in turn, has forced police to transfer their own detainees to available cells at stations elsewhere across the island.

Meanwhile, irregular migrants detained during routine police operations are being transferred to migrant reception centres, including in cases where they are suspected of criminal offences.

Head of the police branch of the Isotita trade union, Nicos Loizides, said there were approximately 160 places for detainees in police stations across the island.

He said up to 80 per cent of these were currently occupied by convicted prisoners and people awaiting trial who would normally be held at the central prison.

Loizides told Phileleftheros that the union had proposed solutions, such as alternative detention facilities, as the situation is dangerous for the health and safety of those detained.

“With the daily arrests and detentions, the capacity at the police detention facilities is at 130 per cent on a daily basis. These are numbers that are dangerous for uprisings or accidents,” he said.

An entry made in the Lakatamia police station logbook on Sunday recorded that the number of detainees had reached 77, describing the facility as operating at 110 per cent of capacity and noting that senior police officers were aware of the situation.

The entry said concerns had repeatedly been raised at all levels over hygiene, the safety of staff and detainees, and human rights.

The head of the detention facilities also said in the entry that fire safety and evacuation plans needed to be updated.

He added that recommendations had not been implemented and regulations continued to be violated, with no indication that conditions were improving.

Instead, he said, the situation was deteriorating.