OLDBURY’S multi-million pound state-of-the-art prison cell block – which opened in a blaze of glory last year – is part of a damning inspection report into the region’s custody suites.

A lack of handcuffs and poor facilities for disabled people were just some of the serious concerns which have been raised at the so-called ‘super-block’.

The 3.4 acre 60 bed facility was officially opened by West Midlands Police last March to replace the seven-cell suite at Halesowen Police Station and nine other smaller sites, which were mothballed by the cash-strapped force in 2010 after they were deemed uneconomic.

But despite millions of pounds being poured into the facility, an examination by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and HM Inspector of Constabulary found the Bromford Road suite to have a number of issues.

These included the bespoke visits facilities being of “limited size” and not suitable for those with mobility issues, its showers offered little privacy from accompanying staff, and there were also no discrete facilities for forensic sampling.

There was also no wheelchair, thicker support mattresses or raised cell benches for those with restricted movement, and the shower for detainees with disabilities was unavailable due to a faulty door.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the report, which was based on an unannounced inspection of the police’s six custody suites and three contingency suites in February, highlights “serious questions”.

He said he has raised his concerns with Chief Constable Dave Thompson and is expecting “rapid progress” to be made.

The report did praise the force for rarely using custody detention for people held under the Mental Health Act, while Oldbury’s suite was commended for the streamlining of processes when dealing with immigration detainees and its cells and communal areas being clean.

Mr Jamieson added: “Despite the serious concerns raised, I am pleased that the independent inspectorates have recognised our services for people suffering from mental ill-health as ‘among the best’ they had seen.

“I will be holding West Midlands Police to account to ensure that progress is made quickly to improve standards in custody.”

Inspectors said they were concerned that issues raised during a previous inspection in 2010 had not been addressed, despite the force opening two state-of-the-art suites in Oldbury and Perry Barr.

In a joint statement, Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons, and Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: “The findings from this inspection were mixed. Many of the existing strengths remained and there had been clear progress in some areas.

“However, it was disappointing that over a third of the recommendations made at the previous inspection had still not been achieved.

“Nevertheless, the force had a clear vision for custody and we were confident that if the strategic impetus was sustained, this would result in further improvement.”

West Midlands Police’s head of custody, Chief Insp Eddy Johnston, said the force would act on the report’s findings.

“The inspection team identified areas for improvement but also highlighted lots of good work and indeed practices that have been heralded as among the best in UK policing,” he said.

“Thanks to a street triage project we run with health services, people with mental health needs are rarely brought into police custody − and inspectors said that initiative was ‘among the best we’ve seen’.

“The physical condition of our two new custody facilities in Oldbury and Perry Barr − where most detainees are kept − was considered good.

“Many of the recommendations in the report are already being addressed and we expect to see improvements in areas like staffing levels and healthcare provision for detainees in the near future.”