approach towards methods of police investigation must be promoted, one which is not based on confession evidence but upon obtaining accurate and reliable information in order to discover the truth about the matter under investigation. The Serbian authorities need to take determined action to combat police ill-treatment which should include training of police inspectors on appropriate interview techniques and holding senior police officers accountable for their line-management responsibilities. Recommendations are also made to reinforce the effectiveness of investigations by the prosecutorial authorities into cases involving allegations of police ill-treatment. Further, procedural safeguards against ill-treatment need to be strengthened, notably concerning access to, and the quality of services provided by, ex officio lawyers. In their response, the Serbian authorities refer to various training activities for police officers and to the recent adoption of a methodology of investigations into allegations of ill-treatment which is mandatory for all prosecutors to follow. The response also refers to improvements made to the material conditions in police stations. 56. In the nine pre-trial sections of the prison establishments visited, overcrowding remained an issue. The situation is worsened by the fact that remand prisoners are locked in their cells for 22 or more hours a day for months on end, with no access to purposeful activities and numerous judicially-imposed restrictions throughout the pre-trial period. The CPT considers that such a regime is a relic of the past, and it recommends that the Serbian authorities devise and implement a comprehensive regime of out-of-cell activities for remand prisoners. In this context, immediate steps should be taken to offer educational and recreational activities for juveniles on remand. In the government response, the Ministry of Justice of Serbia provides information on the measures taken to limit the remand population and to improve the material conditions. The response also states that outdoor exercise entitlements will be increased and all exercise yards fitted with sports equipment. Report and response published in June 2018 (CPT/Inf(2018)21 and CPT/Inf(2018)22) Report on the periodic visit to Ukraine in December 2017 (police custody, prisons, and psychiatric and social care institutions) 57. The majority of persons interviewed indicated that the police had treated them correctly while in police custody. However, the delegation received a considerable number of recent and credible allegations from detained persons regarding the excessive use of force during apprehension by the police, as well as allegations of physical ill-treatment after being brought under control, mainly consisting of kicks, punches and truncheon blows, as well as too tight and prolonged handcuffing. Such allegations were heard more frequently in Kyiv than in other regions visited, and it was also mostly in the capital that the delegation received allegations regarding physical ill-treatment by operational officers during initial questioning. Overall, the delegation gained the impression that, although the severity of the ill-treatment Page 26 ►General Report of the CPT, 2018