…recommends swift construction of new police stations
…suspects chained to a pole due to lack of cells
Mathatisi Sebusi
THE government must draw up a plan to demolish and replace the dilapidated, derelict structures that masquerade as police stations and posts in Lesotho, the Ombudsman, Tlotliso Polaki, has recommended.
Some of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS)’s police stations and posts were built during the colonial era and had long seized to be fit for purpose.
They should be replaced with functional, well-equipped buildings that enable the police to do their work.
Priority should be given to those stations and posts that are in a bad state and that serve large communities.
Ombudsman Polaki makes the recommendations in her latest report, entitled OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT ON THE INSPECTION OF POLICE CELLS NATIONWIDE 2023 published this week.
She compiled the report after a tour and inspection of 40 police stations and posts across the country since July 2023.
The objective of the tour and inspection exercise was to establish whether the stations and posts were conducive and fit for human habitation.
Adv Polaki said that when building the new police stations and posts, government should consider all the requirements of modern police stations that meet international standards.
Adv Polaki said during her tour and inspection exercise, she discovered that police stations and posts across the country, were old, derelict, and dilapidated structures.
They were not fit for human habitation, with some of them dating as far back as colonial-era Lesotho, she said.
“It was established that there are still some buildings that were not built to be police stations and do not therefore meet the standards of a proper police station. Some of them were once retail shops and rental houses. Appropriate examples were Thabana-Morena, Ha- Mofoka, and Mazenod police stations and posts,” Adv Polaki said.
She added the Thaba-Morena police post had no holding cells. As such, suspects were chained to a pole or tree during the day. Suspects also shared the room used as an office with the police during the night, while waiting for bigger police stations to collect them.
According to Adv Polaki, at almost all the old police posts and stations she inspected, office space was the primary challenge as offices could not accommodate all officers. As a result, offices were shared even by different units.
“This was reported to be an inconvenience, especially during interviews and consultations. There was practically no usable furniture in most of the stations or posts. The furniture was dilapidated beyond explanation. A few which were in good condition were shared amongst officers,” she said.
This parlous state of police stations not only tarnished the image of the LMPS. It also demotivated police officers.
She said according to police officers she interviewed, working under such circumstances made them feel as though they were being punished.
She further discovered shortages of other essential items or equipment at most of the stations and posts she visited like flags (national and police), sign boards and blue lights.
There was also a short supply of fuel and heating equipment, making for extremely unpleasant environments for officers deployed in cold and remote areas.
Advocate Polaki further expressed concern over detainees who still used buckets (poho) and pit latrines for ablution in most police cells.
She said while suspects at the old police stations used buckets for toilets, in newly built police stations and posts, water system toilets were dysfunctional. Pit latrines were also not well maintained with the pits full to the brim and doors either broken or removed, depriving users of privacy.
“Some of the toilets were used by staff, detainees, and their families during visitations, and the people who went for services at the police station. Detainees were generally not provided with toilet paper,” Adv Polaki said.
As a result, Adv Polaki recommended that the LMPS must provide separate ablution facilities for detainees, staff, and the public.
She further recommended that necessary maintenance works be done to make the facilities usable and adequately private within twenty-four (24) months of the issuance of her report.
On the conditions of the police cells, Advocate Polaki said in most stations and posts, the cell structure was a bare concrete floor, walls, and roofs. She said the cells were generally dirty and had no lighting. Ventilation was inadequate resulting in a pungent, unbearable smell.
She said most of the stations and posts had only one cell designated for male detainees, while female detainees were kept on benches at the reception area day and night.
She noted that even where there was provision for female cells, they were used for other purposes such as storerooms or exhibit rooms.
“Where new police stations and posts are to be erected, cells should be placed in a way that will provide more light and proper ventilation in the cells. Where cells are in bad shape, they should be renovated and expanded to bring in adequate light and effective ventilation, which are crucial in instances of overpopulation,” Adv Polaki said.
“Female cells must be built, or the ones provided be cleared so that they can serve the purpose for which they were intended. It is very uncomfortable and degrading for a female suspect to sleep on the bench in a public space like the reception area of the charge office.”
Most cells were not equipped with mattresses and blankets, and those that had them were dirty while some were damaged, needing to be repaired.
She said in cases where there were still some mattresses left, they were torn, very thin and contributed to the bad stench in the cells.
“No one was certain as to when they were last provided because it was a long time ago. This therefore meant that detainees slept on bare concrete floors and as blankets were limited, most relied on their families for provision,” she said.
