CHANCELLOR OF JUSTICE AS THE PREVENTIVE MECHANISM III. POLICE DETENTION FACILITIES 1. General outline In 2010, the police used more than thirty different buildings for detaining individuals.21 During the reporting year, the Chancellor of Justice visited twelve of them. The inspected facilities included the following: 1. Jõhvi detention chamber of the public order bureau of the East Prefecture (follow-up inspection, previous inspection visit on 13 May 2009); 2. Haapsalu detention chamber of the public order bureau of the West Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 3 October 2008); Inspection visit to Haapsalu and Kärdla detention chambers of the police detention centre under the public order bureau of the West Prefecture, case No 7-7/100823); 3. Kärdla detention chamber of the police detention centre of the public order department of the West Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 29 August 2007); Inspection visit to Kärdla detention chamber of the police detention centre under the public order department of the West Prefecture, case No 7-7/100823); 4. Paide detention chamber of the public order bureau of the West Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 12 June 2008; Inspection visit to the South and West Prefectures of the Police and Border Guard Board, case No 7-7/101221); 5. Viljandi detention chamber of the public order bureau of the South Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 2 November 2007; Inspection visit to the South and West Prefectures of the Police and Border Guard Board, case No 7-7/101221); 6. Karksi constable point under Viljandi police department of the South Prefecture (not previously inspected by the Chancellor of Justice); 7. Suure-Jaani constable point under Viljandi police department of the South Prefecture (not previously inspected by the Chancellor of Justice); 8. Põltsamaa constable point under Jõgeva police department of the South Prefecture (not previously inspected by the Chancellor of Justice); 9. Tõrva constable point of Valga police department of the South Prefecture (not previously inspected by the Chancellor of Justice); 10. Kuressaare detention chamber of the public order bureau of the West Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 3 July 2009; Inspection visit to Kuressaare detention chamber of the public order bureau of the West Prefecture, case No 7-7/101340); 11. Sobering-up facility in the police detention centre under the public order bureau of the North Prefecture (not previously inspected by the Chancellor of Justice; Inspection visit to the sobering-up facility of the North Prefecture, case No 7-7/101628); 12. Police detention centre of the public order bureau of the North Prefecture (previous inspection visit on 30 September 2009; Inspection visit to the police detention centre under the public order bureau of the North Prefecture, case No 7-7/101982). All the inspection visits were organised without advance notice to the police prefectures or the Police and Border Guard Board. For example, the sobering-up facility in the police detention centre under the public order bureau of the North Prefecture was inspected early on a Saturday morning. The Chancellor involved fire safety experts of the Rescue Service in the inspection of this sobering-up facility as well as of the police detention centre of the public order bureau of the North Prefecture. A medical expert was involved in the inspection of the sobering-up facility as the facility has a medical ward with six beds and in cooperation with the West Tallinn Central Hospital various health services are provided to persons brought for sobering up. Four of the inspected police facilities were constable points where persons are detained short-term (as a rule, for less than 24 hours). In the remaining police facilities, persons are held for longer periods and the facilities also execute misdemeanour detention and custody pending trial. The exception is the sobering-up facility of the North Prefecture which is only used to detain persons brought for sobering up. The Chancellor’s choice of the police establishments to be inspected was based on the time passed from the previous visit, the seriousness of problems posed by the particular facility in terms of the guarantee of fundamental rights, and also the project for developing standards of short-term detention (four constable points). 22 21 In addition to this, there are facilities at the disposal of the border guard department of the Police and Border Guard Board.