Implementation of the Duties and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2012 In the capacity of the NPM, the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia sent brochures and posters on the PS to all police stations in 2012. In the majority of police stations, however, they were not to be found. Documentation The inspection of documentation showed it to be carefully arranged and organized. When any irregularities and deficiencies were found, this was pointed out and it was proposed that individual selected cases of detention being inspected by the NPM should be re-examined and potentially erroneous data corrected. At the same time, it was also proposed, that police officers should be warned about greater diligence and accuracy when filling in forms that are necessary when ordering detention. The Ministry of the Interior always followed the NPM’s proposals and informed the NPM that police officers were notified about the irregularities discovered and greater diligence and accuracy when filling out forms and documents was pointed out to them. It is worth complimenting BPS Gruškovje: there, the exact language, in which a person was notified about the grounds for the deprivation of liberty and rights, is stated in the documentation. The practice of writing down the information about any presence of an interpreter is also noteworthy. An Official Note in a file is an example of good practice; the form in fact shows that the assistant commander carried out the supervision of the detention procedure and discovered some minor shortcomings which were written down in the Official Note from which it was clear that a police officer had already been warned about the deficiencies discovered (PS Ljutomer). In spite of the above mentioned, some inconsistencies, inaccuracies and irregularities in relation to filling in data in documentation where discovered. These are highlighted in the remainder of this report. • It was discovered by the NPM, that, in the case of a procedure regarding one foreign national, police officers should have treated this foreigner in the same manner as the remaining five foreigners; pursuant to Article 43, Paragraph 2 of the Police Act, the said person’s detention should have been ordered upon the specified date and at the specified time and then had their detention concluded at the hour when the mentioned person was actually handed over to the Croatian security authority. In the Ministry of the Interior’s response report it was communicated that, by taking into consideration the recommendation, the information on detention in the FIO register had been updated by the police station. • Although data regarding the implementation and detention itself are actually recorded in the FIO register, until a better and more appropriate solution is adopted in this field, any monitoring should also be recorded in a form which includes an official note on any detention (PS Črnomelj). The Ministry of the Interior communicated that police officers in PS Črnomelj had been informed about this. • Police officers must be warned about the need for accuracy when filling in official notes in relation to detention (in PS Murska Sobota, PS Velenje, PS Mozirje, PS Gorišnica), remand and transfer to foreign security authorities – including in the section referring to the notification of a person of their rights and the reasons for the deprivation of liberty (in PS Podlehnik). The Ministry of the Interior communicated that police units (both, police officers and police commissioners had been warned about the need for consistency and accuracy in filling in the official documents. National Preventive Mechanism in the Republic of Slovenia under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 43

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