notification of health problems, notification on the loss of a relative and special permits, physical restraint and use of force, disciplinary measures, inspections and complaints against staff, meetings and communication with families, women in pre-trial detention, and vulnerable groups. In order to promote human rights in the country and prevention of infringments, NPM experts were actively involved during 2015 in Albanian press and electronic media, via press conferences, joint meetings with journalists, interviews, attendance in TV shows, in view of raising awareness on problems and achievements regarding human rights of persons deprived of their liberty. Financial assistance obtained under the Danish Neighbourhood Programme “Danish Support for the Albanian Ombudsman (2012-2015)” constituted a special role in the performance of NPM functional tasks during 2015. 6. Monitoring visits, progress of matters related to violence cases and recommendations During 2015, the Ombudsman in its role as the National Preventive Mechanism for Torture Prevention conducted 130 visits, out of which 83 monitoring visits performed on the basis of the approved plan of inspections for the year 2015, and 47 re-inspections, special thematic checks and administrative investigations, to all institutions where individual’s freedom is deprived or may be deprived, including penitentiary institutions, police stations, psychiatric hospitals, military bases containing security rooms, centres handling foreigners, asylum seekers and victims of trafficking, and border crossing points and premises where temporary migrant handling had been anticipated. In more specific terms: Inspections anticipated by the approved plan Inspections performed on the annual planning Monitorings/investigations performed on annual planning Total visits for the year 2015 83 8 39 130 The whole activity as per above was accompanied with the delivery within the calendar year 2015 of 76 recommendations to institutions liable for problems and phenomena observed. Feedback to the recommendations indicates that they are accepted and have stirred institutions into action to meet their obligations. Nonetheless, there is still need to follow up with further measures to improve conditions of individuals held in these institutions. 3.1 Cases of torture, ill-treatment and violence in police stations and penitentiary institutions The NPM collaborated with the Special Section of the Ombudsman Office to conduct ad hoc inspections on cases of excessive use of force, as identified during the inspections or from the complaints submitted via mail or telephone, thus fulfilling both the preventive and reactive respective functions of both structures. Acceptance and review with priority and rigorously of the complaints of citizens to the authorities of the State Police for their physical violence in police units, as well as to the Prison Police about the physical violence of detainees and prisoners in penitentiary institutions have been and will remain one of the priorities of the Ombudsman Institution. It should be noted that 8