Overview of the National Preventive Mechanism AOB as part of their training since 2017. There were eleven teaching sessions at the training centres in Vienna, Stein, Linz and Graz-Karlau in 2019. The NPM is also obliged to inform the public about its tasks and the results of its work and fulfils its obligation to inform at events, lectures and training programmes. 1.2 Monitoring and control visits in numbers The six NPM commissions carried out 505 visits throughout Austria in the year under review. 472 monitoring visits were conducted in institutions and facilities, 33 police operations were observed. By the end of 2019 the total number of monitoring visits carried out by the NPM since the mandate was taken up in 2012 amounted to 3,694. Monitoring and control activities of the commissions in 2019 (absolute figures) Peventive human rights monitoring 505 Monitoring of institutions and facilities 472 Observations of police operations* 33 * these include: forced returns, demonstrations, assemblies As in the previous years, the vast majority of visits were to the following institutions: retirement and nursing homes, child and youth welfare facilities as well as institutions for persons with disabilities. These institutions comprise the majority of all those monitored by the NPM. 472 visits to institutions and facilities Many facilities are visited several times during the year, particularly correctional institutions and police detention centres. The number of visits is thus not equivalent to the number of visited institutions and facilities. The visits lasted 3.5 hours on average and were usually unannounced. Only in 4% of the cases was the institution informed in advance. Numerous follow-up visits The police operations observed in 2019 were predominantly forced returns, demonstrations, major police operations, raids and football games where trouble was expected. Of the total of 33 police operations observed, 25 were unannounced. 12