5. Educational activity In 2016, a series of 16 regional debates organized by the NMPT in capital cities of each of the country’s voivodeships (regions) was started. The meetings are addressed to representatives of all types of places of detention, representatives of the public prosecutor’s offices, judicial authorities, voivodeship governments and universities. The debates provide a platform for the exchange of experience in the cooperation of detention places’ managers with the NMPT in the field of protecting the rights of persons deprived of their liberty. The visits also aim to provide an insight into the systemic problems identified during preventive visits to places of detention, and to highlight the role of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture as a partner for the visited establishments’ managers in building the culture of non-acceptance of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. From September 2016 to the end of the year, four regional debates were held in: Katowice, Gdańsk, Lublin and Olsztyn. Local media representatives were also invited to take part in the debates. Especially for them, information was prepared on the results of the NMPT’s visits conducted, in the 2 years preceding the meeting, in places of detention located in a given voivodeship. The organization of the regional debates is a  form of fulfilment of the NMPT’s educational role in the field of preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. As part of their activities aimed to prevent torture, in 2016 the NMPT representatives conducted two training meetings and workshops: one for police officers from units subordinate to the Voivodeship Police Headquarters in Łódź (on 7.04 in Sieradz), and the other one for trainers from the Police Training Centre in Legionowo (on 18.04 in Legionowo). The meetings focused on analysing the concept of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, the standards of protection of the rights of detainees, and the organisation and methods of work of the NMPT. 16