Introduction 1. Organisation of the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism Pursuant to the Statute of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, one of the Departments of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights constitutes the National Preventive Mechanism1. The NPM Department is also supported by the personnel of the Offices of Local Representatives of the CHR in Gdańsk, Wrocław and Katowice. Appropriate assessment of the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty requires information from various sources which, in many cases, is impossible without the support and knowledge of experts. Therefore, visits are carried out together with external experts – doctors: psychiatrists, geriatricians and representatives of foundations auditing the adjustment of space to the needs of persons with disabilities2. 2. Financing Expenditures on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism are covered by the budget received by the Commissioner for Human Rights. In accordance with the Annual Report on the Implementation of Expenditures of the State Budget and the Budget of European Funds Broken Down by Task, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights disbursed PLN 3,049,507.05 in 2015 for implementing the measure of Performing the Function of the National Preventive Mechanism, including PLN 233,425.42 for capital expenditures and PLN 2,816,081.63 for other expenditures. In 2015, the tasks of the National Preventive Mechanism were carried out by 12 professional personnel members of whom two were on long-term leave. In the year concerned, the visiting team included actually 8-9 persons. The Commissioner for Human Rights repeatedly stressed that the Department’s staffing prevents the CHR from having its obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment fully implemented. 1 2 § 6 of the Annex to Order No 45/2014 of the Commissioner for Human Rights of 19 November 2015 on the Statute of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. List of experts: cf. Part II. 7