Police stations 2.7 Police stations 2.7.1 Introduction The commissions visited 63 police stations in the year under review. As in previous years, the focus of the visiting delegation was on the proper documentation of measures that restrict freedom as well as on the structure and furnishings of the stations and departments. The NPM paid more attention to adequate staffing at police stations in the year under review. The main points of criticism were the low proportion of women law enforcement officers and the general understaffing of police stations and departments. In August 2017, the NPM recommended the Federal Ministry of the Interior to install light switches in police station detention rooms (see chapter 2.7.2). In 2016, the NPM already addressed the issue of the lack of discretion during examinations by public health officers in police stations and the permissibility of locating detention rooms in the basement of police stations (see NPM Report 2016, p. 148 and pp. 153 et seq.). Recommendations on both topics were sent to the Federal Ministry of the Interior (see chapter 2.7.3 and 2.7.4). Structural recommendation by NPM On the question of whether police stations have to provide customer sanitary facilities, the NPM requested av assessment from the Human Rights Advisory Council in November 2017 (see chapter 2.7.5). There was no concluding statement by the Human Rights Advisory Council available at the time of completing this report. As in previous years, the commissions observed that detained persons have to wait a considerable length of time in police stations before being examined. The NPM will continue to track which measures will be taken by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (see NPM Report 2016, pp. 149 et seq.). The Federal Ministry named Vorarlberg and Burgenland as good examples for providing support in rural areas. Through an agreement with the office of the regional government of Burgenland, the Police Department of Burgenland can conclude contracts with doctors also in those regions in which the police department itself is not the first instance security authority. In this way, a service is also available at night and at the weekends. The Federal Ministry has instructed the Police Departments of Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol to approach the respective offices of the regional governments. The Federal Ministry does, however, not expect a nationwide solution in the short term due to the legal separation of competencies. Long waiting times for examination by (public) health officers Vienna was less problematic to date due to the larger number of public health officers. Towards the end of the year, one commission detected deficiencies after visiting a police station. The NPM will follow up on this. 159