Report of the HRD on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland in 2011 2.6. Sobering-up stations In 2011, five visits to sobering-up stations were carried out by the Human Right Defender within the framework of tasks of the National Preventive Mechanism209.: Tarnów, Elbląg, Grudziądz, Zabrze sobering-up stations and Emergency Room for Controlled Sobering-up in Gorzów Wielkopolski. During their visits, representatives of the Mechanism noted irregularities in certain areas, the details of which are presented below, which make it impossible to describe the situation in these establishments as anything better than adequate. Due to repeated cases of deaths of drunk persons in places of deprivation of liberty, Professor Irena Lipowicz announced that the number of NPM’s visits to sobering-up stations and to organisational units of the Police, where apprehended drunk persons are also detained, will be increased. The Defender is also considering whether or not systemic changes should be introduced with the aim to properly care for the health of a detained drunk person in the place where such person is being held. Figure 7. The number of visits of the National Preventive Mechanism in sobering-up stations in the years 2008–2011 2011; 5 2008; 2 2009; 11 2010; 15 a) Treatment Representatives of the Mechanism did not discover in the visited establishments any instances of treatment that could be described as torture. However, they did come across intances of degrading treatment of patients. During each visit to a sobering-up station, the NPM’s representatives check whether the detainees are forced (by physical intervention or by oral command) to change into substitute clothes provided by the facility. In three of the visited establishments, after randomly  Hereinafter referred to as: “NPM” or “Mechanism.” 209 116