NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has called an emergency meeting with the Commissioner of Corrective Services over inmates she says are languishing in police cells.
The issue has reportedly spiked after the introduction of a centralised bail system in November for metropolitan police bail-refused custodies.
The changes haven’t impacted all court locations, particularly no in regional areas.
But Commissioner Webb says gridlock across the jail system is causing congestion leading to “cell ramping” with bail-refused inmates locked up in police stations for days.
The commissioner says the problem is a capacity issue owing to police stations not being designed to house prisoners for extended periods of time.
She says the bottleneck is consuming police time and resources which could otherwise service the community and is calling for a plan to address the situation.
‘Our job is to arrest and lock people up when they break the law, we are not an indefinite departure lounge for people in custody,’ Commissioner Webb said via media statemen.
‘This bottleneck is consuming police time and resources which could otherwise service the community,’ she said, ‘we need a plan to allow officers to do their job and get back out on the street.’
A six-month data analysis has been launched as of February, to measure the impact prisoner transport is having on police resources, with an ‘initial snapshot’ in November last year reportedly showing significant strain.
The commissioner says she will meet with unions and Corrective Services as soon as possible.
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