Investigative proceedings in the year under review Investigative focal points While taking the AOB’s general investigative focal points into consideration, it is the duty of the Commissions to proceed so that all areas Seamless and routine procedures are covered seamlessly as a matter of routine. Due to this statutory requirement, the National Preventive Mechanism must fulfil its competence equally with regard to all the duties with which it has been charged. Additionally, however, investigative focal points should be defined in order to ensure that the available capacities are utilised as efficiently and effectively as possible. In accordance with the NPM, the intensity with which the Commissions pursue their duties is decisive for the determination of the investigative focal points. Merely the specification how many of the availab- Subject, standards and methodology are decisive le financial resources should be spent, for example, for the investigation of the various types of institutions and facilities does not, in and of itself, indicate, what the delegations should focus on during their visits. The purpose of the visit is therefore determined by the defined issue to be investigated and the relevant international and national standards for this issue. It should also be kept in mind that the Commissions should develop a uniform methodology for how they proceed and their approach with regard to content. This is the only way to ensure that the subsequent evaluation of their on-site observations and findings is possible. For the initial phase of the NPM, the members of the AOB and the Commissions decided to first of all visit the largest and most important institutions and facilities of the respective regions. In this context, the Chairpersons of the Commissions expressed the desire that the AOB suggests issues regarding the penal system based on its previous handling of individual complaints. The performance of urine and drug testing in penal institutions was mutually agreed as the issue to be investigated. During recent years, Initial investigative focal point there have been repeated complaints that these tests are not conducted with the necessary respect or with optimum protection of the privacy of the test subject. The AOB made the criteria, which it intends to use subsequently to evaluate the determinations it has made, available to the Commissions in advance. In particular, it asked the Commissions 43