CAT/OP/1/Rev.1 V. Implementation of visiting activities A. Planning 21. In the framework of its visiting activities the national preventive mechanism should actively seek information in order to ensure that it has data and background information for all places of detention and should keep an archive of all relevant information about places of detention and the treatment of persons held there. 22. The mechanism should ensure that it has criteria for selecting the places to be visited and for deciding on thematic visits that ensure that all places of detention are visited regularly, taking into account the type and size of institutions, their security level and the nature of known human rights problems, while leaving room for flexibility in the allocation of resources to ensure that follow-up and urgent visits can be undertaken. Such criteria should be transparent, clear and published. 23. The composition of a visiting team should take into account the necessary knowledge, including with respect to languages, groups with special needs and vulnerable groups, the experience and skills of members, gender balance and the adequate representation of ethnic and minority groups. The team should have sufficient human and technical resources and time to enable it to properly carry out its tasks. B. Visit methodology 24. On an ongoing basis, a national preventive mechanism should develop guidelines for visits to the various categories of places of detention, including instructions for selecting the theme of a visit, for conducting private interviews, for developing policies for dealing with vulnerable groups of detainees and for ensuring that information from all available sources, such as the administration and staff of the institution visited, detainees from all areas and units, other visitors, if appropriate, and outside actors, such as civil society and other monitoring mechanisms, is collected. 25. All facilities within institutions should be visited and existing registries, examples of case records and activities and services for the detainees should be assessed, unless the visit is thematic only. If a visit is thematic, its coverage of the facilities can be only partial. 26. Practices and tools should be developed to cross-check, test and assess observations and to ensure that recommendations are based on rigorous analysis and are factually well grounded (see CAT/OP/12/6, para. 5 (f)). The national preventive mechanism should put in place an effective data management system. 27. There should be a policy that provides for an immediate debriefing with the representatives of the place of detention at the end of a visit. 28. The mechanism should consider developing a code of conduct for visiting teams, covering, among other things, addressing detainees and staff, observing cultural and any other relevant sensitivities, conducting individual or group interviews, including how and when to conduct such interviews, handling security and safety issues, ensuring confidentiality, managing internal debriefings in order to coordinate and cross-check data collected and prepare for the closing of the visit, ensuring that the visitors do not step outside or in any other way exceed the mandate of the mechanism during a visit, and participating in reporting and follow-up. 29. The national preventive mechanism should have clear guidelines for reporting individual cases of deliberate ill-treatment and requesting inquiries, as well as for 7