general observations in connection with inspections 22 Police custody facilities At the end of 2017, there were approximately 120 police custody facilities with a total of 1,350 placements. Individuals who have been apprehended or arrested are placed in a police custody facility. From 2011–2014, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s OPCAT unit prioritised inspections of police custody facilities and inspected 52 facilities. The high number of inspections was justified by, among other things, the need to acquire the necessary experience in connection with the phase of building the OPCAT unit. During 2015–2017, 20 custody facilities were inspected. Several of these inspections were followup inspections.1 Follow-up inspections have been deemed to be an important element as it facilitates the possibility to assess the impact of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s comments. Although there were fewer inspections compared to the previous period, the inspections of police custody facilities still accounted for the greater part of the work under OPCAT. In addition to individuals arrested, individuals taken into custody pursuant to a peremptory law, such as the Care of Intoxicated Persons Act, are placed in police custody facilities. It is therefore not unusual for individuals who have no experience of deprivation of liberty and/or who find themselves in a particularly vulnerable situation to be spending time in police custody facilities. There is a need for these individuals to be given information on why they have been deprived of their liberty and what rights they have. Among other things, these circumstances justify the still relatively high percentage of inspections of police custody facilities during 2015–2017. During 2016, OPCAT also targets the issue of providing information to individuals deprived of their liberty, as a special theme (see Section 5). The police custody facility guards’ training In some police custody facilities, no special training is provided and it is up to the guards to introduce their new colleagues. The Parliamentary Ombudsmen has pointed out that this means a clear risk of the serving police custody facility guards not having sufficient knowledge of their duties. Custody facility guards having undergone relevant training, is an important factor in ensuring that individuals deprived of their liberty are being treated in a lawfully and correct way. The Police Authority frequently enters into agreements with security companies, that are able to provide the necessary staff required at police custody facilities. Police custody facilities in the metropolitan areas may have around a hundred guards appointed to serve as police custody facility guards. During 2015–2017, it was noted that the Police Authority had no uniform routines for the introduction of new police custody facility guards and it is unclear who is responsible for this. In certain regions, the police provide spe1 Follow-up inspections were carried out at the police custody facilities in Helsingborg, Malmö, Sollentuna, Södermalm (Stockholm), Uddevalla, Umeå, Västerås and Östersund.