Damning review: assaults, kids in crowded watch houses
Fraser Barton |
Harsher bail laws have left children in crowded adult watch houses for long periods as a damning review highlights the need to improve one state’s ailing facilities.
Queensland Police and its 63 operating watch houses face 34 recommendations from a review into custody management practices.
The review found children were often spending extended periods stuck in adult watch houses, where they were sometimes inappropriately exposed to men and women due to inadequate facilities.
In August 2023, the former Labor state government overrode human rights laws and pushed through amendments to allow children to be held at the locations.
Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes said those bail laws were “definitely” having an impact.
“The really harsh bail laws have caused more kids to stay in watch houses for longer periods of time,” she told AAP.
“The (new government’s) adult crime, adult time laws will probably start to have an impact over the next few months.”
The review, released on Thursday, found capacity issues were being worsened by the increasing time people were spending in custody.
Children were more likely to spend longer in the facilities, at an average of 161 hours – almost a week.
Adult prisoners spent an average 118 hours in watch houses after they were remanded or sentenced in 2024.
The average time spent by youths in watch houses had increased nearly every year since 2019, the review highlighted.
Police processed 78,108 admissions through watch houses in 2024, with about 10 per cent being children.
Staff assaults were also highlighted in the review, with Police Minister Dan Purdie describing watch houses as more dangerous than being on the front line.
“… With one in seven staff and police who work in watch houses being the victim of assault,” he said.
Capacity issues were not just impacted by length of stay but how these facilities were designed, Mr Purdie said.
The state government committed $16 million in its recent budget to upgrading facilities.
“A watch house isn’t a detention facility, it’s certainly not a youth detention facility,” the minister added.
“The $16 million already in the budget is for remediation work and upgrades to the watch houses … that are long overdue for upgrades.
“I hope that’s a short-term show of support to our police and staff that work in those trying and dangerous conditions.”
The review addresses current and future needs and areas for further development across 891 beds in 15 super- and large-sized watch houses, as well as 48 small facilities.
The review recommends police start a program for watch house remediation works to address safety issues and privacy concerns for women and girls.
It suggests designated cells or locations for women and girls to separate them from men.
A trial of body scanners in larger watch houses should also be introduced to enhance safety of staff and prisoners, and reduce the need for invasive unclothed searches, the review found.
Police have already introduced body-worn cameras to staff inside watch houses.
Six children were held in the Brisbane city watch house on Thursday.
AAP
