Unusual 'Relationship to Head' on 1861 Census

[T1na.A]

I'm back after a long break from family history.  Thought I'd make a start with some Ancestry hints.  The first one I come across and I'm already looking for some advice from you good people. 

John Conboy (row 5) is shown as 'prisoner' on the 1861 Census along with another 4 people but the location does not appear to be a prison.  However the first two names are a police constable and a police sergeant, who are shown as 'lodgers'.  Two of the prisoners appear to be prostitutes. 

Is it likely the policemen were holding these 5 prisoners in the policemen's own home and it was just coincidental that the enumerator happened to call at the exact same time or had the policemen come to arrest the 5 but had to be included in the Census just because they were in the building?  If it were the latter case, I would have expected to see the police shown as 'visitors'.  I cannot see any mention of any other police on the page before so assume it was not a Police Station? 

I know that any replies will probably be speculative but I would be interested in hearing other views as it's not something I've come across before.  Thank you in anticipation.

[Gan Yam]

There are 3 policeman on the previous page, all shown as lodgers as well!

[Greensleeves]

In the village where I live, there was a problem with labourers working on the construction of a dam on the mountain above,  who came down into the village on Friday nights to get roaring drunk and then start fighting.  Further difficulties arose because when arrested, there was nowhere to put the miscreants.  Consequently a mini-jail was built in the garden of the police house where those arrested for being drunk and disorderly were shut up for the night to cool off.  I am wondering if this is a similar situation - that the offenders weren't actually in the police house itself, but in a lock-up in the garden.

[avm228]

Census-taking was not about who happened to be at an address when the enumerator called.

The enumerator delivered household returns days in advance of the appointed date, with instructions to householders to include persons who spent the relevant night at the address, and returned to collect the completed forms in the days following.

This does look like a local mini-clink (perhaps of a makeshift nature).

[Gan Yam]

There's a description here of a Victorian police station near Hyde Park https://www.victorianlondon.org/police/hydeparkstation.htm
The Regents Park one on the census could have had a similar set up.  And there appears to have been, until recently, a police station at 60 Albany Street, maybe just a coincidence or the building numbers have changed over time.

[mazi]

I think it may have been the bridewell, where those arrested in the evening are held overnight before coming in front of the magistrate in the morning.

Mike

[hanes teulu]

1864 map - Police station on Albany Street
http://london1864.com/stanford14.htm

[T1na.A]

Thank you all for your informative replies.

[stanmapstone]

  And there appears to have been, until recently, a police station at 60 Albany Street, maybe just a coincidence or the building numbers have changed over time.

Shown as No. 104 on this 1959-62 map https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/528834/182628/13/100765 also on the Town Plan at https://maps.nls.uk/view/101201523#zoom=6&lat=11056&lon=2011&layers=BT

Stan