It’s criminal: A night in cells costs twice as much as a room at The Ritz!
KEEPING a suspect in police cells for a night costs twice what a guest pays to stay at the Ritz.
The average cost to the taxpayer of holding a detainee for 24 hours is £897 – just over £37 an hour – while the bill for 12 hours is £449, figures from the Metropolitan Police reveal.
By contrast, prices start at £430 for a night in a Superior King room at the five-star Ritz Hotel in London. Even a night in a Deluxe King room with a marble en suite bathroom, costing £565, and a bottle of the hotel’s most expensive champagne on the terrace at £270 would be cheaper than 24 hours in a cell.
The figure for holding a detainee is twice what it was in 2015, when it cost £418 for 24 hours – £17 an hour – and £248 for up to 12 hours.
Last night the Met did not respond when asked why costs had soared so dramatically.
The figures were revealed by the Liberal Democrats after a Freedom of Information request.
The party’s leader Tim Farron said: ‘The Conservatives have created a crisis in our prison and justice system and they are doing nothing to fix it.
‘That the cost has doubled in just two years is utterly staggering. It should shock any right-minded person. They are spending more cash holding people in cells than it costs for a night at the Ritz.’
The Met revealed prisoners were given a variety of food including beef chilli with rice, chicken tikka and all-day breakfasts. The food meets a range of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher.
A police statement said: ‘We also provide porridge pots. Tea and coffee are available.’
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘This is an alarming rise in just a few years and police bosses need to explain why this is the case.
‘We need to be making necessary savings in all areas of public spending and the Met need to evaluate their process and make sure they’re offering value for money.’