Part I ing those detained for the purpose of sobering up114. The main causes of death included respiratory and cardiovascular system failure, infarction, stroke and alcohol intoxication. The problem of shifting responsibility for care of persons intoxicated with alcohol to the police has been mentioned for several years in the Commissioner for Human Rights’ annual reports on the activities of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture in Poland, and in his general interventions115. It has also been discussed in conferences and debates organized by successive CHRs (last time on 12 September 2016116). The reason for the current situation is the content of Article 39 of the Act of 26 October 1982 on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism117, according to which local governments of cities with over 50,000 inhabitants, as well as powiat (i.e. district) authorities may, but do not have, to establish and run sobering-up stations. Given the content of the regulation local governments, for various reasons, but mainly financial ones, close down sobering-up stations being aware that in practice, care of persons intoxicated with alcohol will have to be provided by the police. In view of the to-date discussions and information provided on the issue to the Commissioner over recent years by the Minister of the Interior118 and the Minister of Health119, the following problems in the area of care of persons intoxicated with alcohol should be mentioned: • lack of funds to employ doctors at PDRs (according to the data of the Ministry of the Interior, 1650 doctors would be needed for PDRs and Police Emergency Centres for Children, and police facilities would have to receive adequate medical equipment); • no possibility for hospitals (medical institutions) to take care of persons intoxicated with alcohol who otherwise need no medical care, and intoxi Data provided to the NMPT by the Guarded Transport Division of the National Police Headquarters’ Prevention Department. 115 CHR’s general intervention of 18.11.2013 to the Prime Minister, ref. no. RPO-738421-VII-720.7/13; CHR’s general intervention of 8.01.2015 to the Prime Minister, ref. no. KMP.574.14.2014. 116 Information on the conference is available from the CHR website. 117 consolidated text: Dz. U. of 2016, item 487. 118 Reply of the Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior of 22.07.2014 to the CHR’s Report on the activities of the NMPT in 2013, ref. no. DKSiW-ZPC-0790-2 2014; Reply of the Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior of 29 August 2013 CHR’s Report on the activities of the NMPT in 2012, ref. no. DN-NKSPP-0744-9 2013/KiK; Reply of the Secretary of State of the MIA of 19.12.2016 to the CHR’s Report on the activities of the NMPT in 2015, ref.no. DPP-OP-0790-14/2016/PW. 119 Reply of the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health of 30.01.2015, ref. no. ZP-P.073.4.2015; reply of the Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Health of 31.01.2014, ref. no. MZ-ZP-P-073-28414-2/ MM/14. 114 45