Coastal prisoners brought to town

Published 7 Aug 2010 14:00

GREENOCK police station has become a hub for holding prisoners as they wait for their day in court.

Suspects are being brought from towns including Largs and Saltcoats because their stations do not have enough cells.

Only people detained for court the following day are involved in the transfer arrangement.

Those lifted on minor offences will be processed at their local station and released.

Local Area Commander Graeme MacDiarmid, from Greenock police station, said: "Prisoners are brought to Greenock by police offers if they are due to appear in court the next lawful day. They are held in Greenock, then taken to court by Reliance.

"This has no impact on Greenock. We have 50 cells and an appropriate amount of staff to service that.

"All the prisoners get treated exactly the same. They get the same level of service and duty of care."

The transfer system follows a force-wide examination into prisoner holding in the Strathclyde Police area.

Sergeant Andy McGrath of Largs Police said: "In the few months this process has been in operation, local police have found it has been of benefit to them.

"Although it means a little more distance to travel, the turn around at Greenock is much quicker due to it being a larger office with more staff and cells, allowing the officers to return to Largs quickly."

Saltcoats Police office is, in the near future, expected to have additional cell capacity added, which may lead to a further review.

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 07 Aug 10

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