Police union: Bigger prisons needed to cope with custody crisis

Victoria’s prisoner custody system is at breaking point, and there are fears police will be forced to bail accused criminals because there is nowhere to keep them.

As reported in the Herald Sun, the crisis reached a peak on Tuesday night, when ­almost every police cell in the state ­was occupied.

The Police Association says the state’s police cells are almost at capacity amid a crime and bail crackdown.

Secretary of the Victoria Police Association, Wayne Gatt told 3AW Breakfast infrastructure upgrades are desperately needed.

“Having cells at capacity is not a new thing, it’s happened time and time again over a number of years,” he said.

“You don’t want to be in a position where your decision making around bail and remand are influenced in any way by capacity issues, that’s not a good thing.

“It is a good thing that we’re getting people off the streets but you need the infrastructure to match it.”

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