Prisoners are unlikely to shower at the new £12m Kittybrewster custody centre due to a shortage of staff, a report has found.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland found that staffing issues were impacting on the way the centre is run.
Staffing levels meant that there was often no one available to supervise a prisoner wanting to use the shower block, the report found.
Detainees are more likely to wash in a sink in the corridor, described as a “hole in the wall” by inspectors, with police chiefs urged to review the facilities.
HMICS also found that a secure open-air exercise yard was “rarely used”.
Police chiefs have been told to make eight improvements to the centre, which has been open for just a year.
Only two or three of the five custody reception desks operated at any one time due to staffing levels, the report said.
This lead to delays in processing detainees and frustration of officers bringing them to the cells.
Police have been told to increase the number of staff who can carry out risk assessments on prisoners when they arrive at Kittybrewster in order to speed up the process.
It has also been recommended that they improve risk assessments to insure that prisoners are getting the right level of attention when in the cells.
Officers have been told to make use of interpreters when required and to consider more fully a detainee’s age when they are checked in.
This came after inspectors noted a “lengthy delay” in contacting the mother of a 16-year-old boy who was held in custody overnight.
Kittybrewster was built to bring 60 modern cells under one roof and allowed police to do away with old, sub-standard accommodation.
Two cases linked to Kittybrewster have been referred to the Police Investigations and REview Commissioner since it opened.
One followed the death of 20-year-old Warren Fenty in custody in June 2014 with a Fatal Accident Inquiry to be held.
Meanwhile, PIRC found that staff should have got medical attention more quickly for a prisoner who had arrived at the centre with a broken elbow.
Derek Penman, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: “The improvement actions were have identified relate to training, the use of interpreters, risk assessments, resources, segregation of areas used by male and female detainees, wahsing facilities and ease of access for those with mobility issues.
“Overall we found that detainees at the police custody centre in Aberdeen are treated with fairness and respect by professional and courteous staff.”