CAT/OP/DEU/2 facilitates communication and trust-building with the respondents and thus improves the interviews. 58. The SPT recommends that members of the visiting teams provide information leaflets to the authorities on the NPM and that its members undertaking interviews introduce themselves to persons deprived of liberty and tell them their name, profession and the position they occupy within the mechanism. The interviewer should explain the mandate of the NPM, placing particular emphasis on its preventive nature. The interviewer should also obtain the consent of the interviewee and make it clear that the interview is confidential, voluntary and can be interrupted at any time at the interviewee’s request. The SPT also recommends that the NPM regularly update the leaflet that describes its mandate and working methods, explaining the concept of informed consent and providing contact information. The leaflet should also indicate and encourage persons deprived of their liberty to report any reprisal to the NPM using the contact details of the leaflet. 59. Private interviews with persons deprived of their liberty are a fundamental component of preventive visits.17 The SPT noticed that the majority of interviews conducted during the visits were collective, often done in the near presence of the warders. 60. In principle, unless there are compelling reasons for doing otherwise, the SPT recommends that the NPM conduct private, individual and unsupervised interviews with detainees, staff and others, including the medical personnel. In addition, the SPT recommends that, as a general rule, members of the NPM include questions relating to the health of persons deprived of their liberty and their access to a health professional and facilities. 61. The SPT observed that the visiting teams lacked measuring equipment to verify the actual conditions of the place of detention (e.g. size, light, temperature), such as torches, lamps, thermometers etc. In addition, not all the members of the team were wearing identification badges. 62. The SPT recommends that the NPM use appropriate measuring equipment and wear visible identification. 63. In the SPT view, given the scarce resources and distance it needs to travel to visit places of deprivation of liberty, the NPM ought to take full advantage of its presence by undertaking a thorough inspection of the facilities visited, examining documentation and talking with detainees and relevant staff. 64. The SPT recommends that NPM team members inspect all facilities in the places of deprivation of liberty it visits, systematically examining records and files and cross-checking them with information from other sources. If records are unavailable, the NPM should recommend changes in existing practices that will enable them to become available. Due to their limited size, the SPT recommends that all members of the NPM visit teams speak with detainees, giving such interviews at least an equal priority with speaking to those in authority. 65. The SPT noted that on one occasion some NPM members focused on individual complaints made by detainees and attempted to resolve them even though the NPM is not mandated to do so. 66. Although the intention is laudable, the SPT recalls that the mandate of the NPM differs from that of other bodies working against torture and is characterized by 17 Optional Protocol, art. 20 (d). 11