19 The envisaged number of the staff is not sufficient for the improvement of the work of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture. The envisaged number of officers working in the NPM Secretariat (one senior advisor, one independent advisor and two advisors) is not sufficient, taking into account its mandate and needs to efficiently perform all tasks. It is therefore necessary to form a special sector within the Protector of Citizens institution that would be headed by a NPM Secretary, who would be at the level of the Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Protector of Citizens. Two assistants would assist a NPM Secretary in his/her work (one in charge of monitoring and the other in charge of cooperation, reporting and improvement of regulations). In addition, it is necessary that the assistant and other staff members in charge of monitoring, taking into account the character of the work they perform, have all the rights as those working in the inspection authorities, police officers and staff working in the Service for the Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions who have direct contact with convicts. In order to comply with the NPM mandate, it is necessary to set a special budget line within the budget of the Protector of Citizens. For the purpose of ensuring conditions for efficient performance of the NPM activities, it is necessary to adopt special Law on the NPM with no delay or amend the current Law on the Protector of Citizens that would regulate the organization and ways to fulfil the NPM mandate. 4.4. Participation of the Provincial Protector of Citizens within the NPM activities Representatives of the Provincial Protector of Citizens took part in 25 conducted visits in the course of the year of 2015. In keeping with the conclusions of the Memorandum on Cooperation, the Protector of Citizens continued its cooperation with the Provincial Protector of Citizens of the AP Vojvodina (Provincial Protector of Citizens) when paying the visits to the places of detention located in the territory of the AP Vojvodina in the course of the year of 2015. In February, the visits to the Police Administration in Kikinda were conducted and to the Police Station forming part of the PA Kikinda, so as to determine regularities and legalities of all actions taken towards persons deprived of their liberty, as well as towards refugees /migrants. On that occasion, the visit was carried out to the Regional Border Police Centre nearby Hungary, specifically to the Police in Kikinda, Nakov, Horgoš, Đala and Martonoš. The Protector of Citizens, when performing NPM tasks, together with the Provincial Protector of Citizens – Protector of Citizens paid visits to Kanjiža and Subotica so as to monitor the way competent authorities treat refugees / migrants. Reception centre for migrants in Kanjiža, Centre for Social Work in Kanjiža, Police Station in Kanjiža, border crossing points Horgoš 1 and Horgoš 2, and the Regional Border Police Centre nearby Hungary, Police Administration in Subotica, District Prison in Subotica, Centre for Social Work in Subotica and informal place of grouping of migrants – brick works in Subotica, were visited on that occasion. At the beginning of August 2015, the Provincial Protector of Citizens – Protector of Citizens independently conducted a visit to the Municipality of Kanjiža and on that occasion, he met with a President of the Municipal Assembly of Kanjiža, representatives of the Centre for Social Work Kanjiža and UNHCR, Red cross and Police Station in Kanjiža, to observe how the competent authorities treat refugees who had fled from the war stricken countries and who continued their journeys towards the West European Countries. The Provincial Protector of Citizens – Protector of Citizens, with the approval by the Protector of Citizens, as a part of its NPM activities, independently visited the Home for Mentally Ill

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