11 Working method and organisation Establishment of the national preventive mechanism (NPM) The NPM started its work in spring 2014. During the establishment phase, it mapped the sectors under its mandate, devised working methods and focused on competence building and information work. This formed the basis for a document outlining the NPM’s priorities and a visit schedule.1 In autumn 2014, the NPM began to make visits to places of detention, and visits were made to two prisons and two police custody facilities in 2014. During 2015, the NPM has carried out 15 visits to 14 places of detention and expanded its visit field to include two new sectors: mental health care institutions and the police immigration detention centre at Trandum.2 Holistic approach to prevention Effective preventive work requires a holistic approach. The scope of torture and ill-treatment can be affected by many different factors, including national and international legislation, the organisation of institutions, control and supervisory bodies and their practices, the general attitudes of society, social inequality, the level of knowledge and financial resources. They all have consequences for the work of the NPM. Regular visits to places of detention are a key element of the NPM’s work, but other work methods are also employed. The NPM maintains a continuous dialogue with the public administration and official bodies at different levels, as well as supervisory authorities and civil society. It also cooperates and exchanges experience with many international human rights bodies. Information work is also given priority in order to give the public greater insight into the conditions for people deprived of their liberty and to provide information about findings and recommendations. This is described in more detail in this annual report in the sections on national dialogue (section 7) and international cooperation (section 8). Announcement of visits The NPM makes both announced and unannounced visits. In 2015, five announced visits, seven unannounced visits and three partly announced visits were made. An unannounced visit means that the NPM visits a place without giving prior notice, and an announced visit means that the NPM informs the place of detention’s management about the visit roughly four weeks in advance. For partly announced visits, the NPM informs the place of detention’s management of the month the visit will be made, but not the date. This work method makes it possible to obtain relevant information before a visit, while also enabling the NPM to gain a realistic impression of the conditions at the place of detention. The practice of combining different types of visits is set to continue in 2016. Execution of visits Each visit starts by obtaining information from a number of sources. This includes relevant national and international legislation and concrete information about the conditions for the people detained at the place of detention. If the visit is announced or partly announced, the place of detention receives a letter about the forthcoming visit, in which it is also requested to provide 1 See the NPM’s annual report 2014 for a detailed description of the work carried out during the establishment phase. 2 The visits made in 2015 are discussed in section 4 of this annual report.