CHANCELLOR OF JUSTICE AS THE PREVENTIVE MECHANISM Jõhvi detention chamber of the public order bureau of the East Prefecture was visited for purposes of follow-up inspection. The other cases were independent complete inspection visits. With regard to the inspected establishments, the biggest changes in 2010 were related to the start of the full operation of the sobering-up facility of the North Prefecture and completion of the new Rakvere police department of the East Prefecture. In general, the recurring problems found during the inspection visits were still related to poor living conditions (e.g. in Haapsalu and Kuressaare detention chambers) which were mostly reflected in serious depreciation of the cells and absence of an exercise yard. In addition to poor living conditions, there were also shortcomings in constable points intended for short-term detention. In analysing the living conditions and making recommendations, in 2010 the Chancellor again proceeded to a large extent from the country’s general economic situation but nevertheless emphasised that, regardless of the shortage of budgetary resources for larger construction and repair projects, at least the renovation of the existing police buildings should continue. Several inspection visits in 2010 revealed gaps in security in police facilities. The Chancellor made such observations in the detention cells in Haapsalu, Viljandi and Paide and in the sobering-up facility of the North Prefecture. In general, the Chancellor recommended introducing or improving video surveillance and combining it with physical monitoring of the cells by officers. The Police and Border Guard Board considered improving security important and intends to pay more attention to this in the future. For example, additional security cameras in the so-called public areas were installed in the sobering-up facility of the North Prefecture. A problem area in 2010 continued to be the provision of health services to detainees. In practice, the organisation of health services varies among the prefectures or even among the police departments within the same prefecture − some police facilities do not have a health care worker at all, while some others employ them as contractual agents or members of staff. The Chancellor described the issues of health services in the summaries of inspection visits to Haapsalu and Kuressaare detention chambers, the sobering-up facility and the detention facility of the North Prefecture. Haapsalu and Kuressaare detention chambers did not have a health care worker and the Chancellor proposed to the Police and Border Guard Board to ensure at least the possibility of initial health examination in these police facilities − to find an independent health care worker conforming to international standards. Until then, initial health examination of detainees upon admission should be conducted by officers of the detention facility by interviewing the detainees and taking note and recording of visible injuries or disease symptoms. The sobering-up facility and the detention centre of the North Prefecture had a health care worker. However, there was a problem with the independence of the worker in connection with ascertaining illtreatment in the detention centre and in connection with deciding placement of persons in the medical ward in the sobering-up facility. The Police and Border Guard Board promised to the Chancellor that measures in the area of health care will continue to be taken and, according to the availability of budgetary resources, the situation will be improved. The fourth problem identified in the majority of the inspected police establishments was related to the long and constant stay of persons detained pending trial in a police detention facility. Interviews with detainees in detention cells of different police facilities and with police officers, as well as examination of the books of registration of operations in police facilities, revealed that on average persons in custody stayed in police cells for one consecutive month, but in some cases the length of stay was longer. 23