Police find low-cost method of preventing lock-up suicides

The police have introduced a rudimentary, low-cost way of stopping suicides at its headquarters… covering the metal bars on cell windows with a plain metal sheet. The move follows two suicide deaths at the general headquarters lock-up last year which had caused public outrage. The police told The Sunday Times of Malta that the perforated metal sheeting had now been affixed to all windows as a simple solution to a complex problem. “This measure has drastically reduced the possibility of individuals tying bed sheets or other material to windows,” the force said. The police were contacted by this newspaper a year after it had pledged to introduce measures to reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts by those held under police custody. Last year then-Police Commissioner Michael Cassar had said he would look into every possible solution to stop people from trying to take their lives while behind bars. “The lock-up is not where people go to enjoy themselves and they do not want to be there. We have to be aware of this when we are tasked with custody,” he had said. He was speaking after a 36-year-old German man was found hanged in a detention cell at the police headquarters...