CAT/OP/ARM/2 39. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism develop criteria for selecting the facilities to be visited and ensure that all facilities are visited periodically. Such criteria should be based on the type and size of the institution and the severity of the human rights issues of which the mechanism is aware; no institution should be excluded either because of its type or location. Planning and standard operating procedures 40. The Subcommittee notes that the national preventive mechanism is characterised by the absence of clearly defined procedures for the planning of its work and the conduct of visits to places of detention, impairing the efficiency of the visits. 41. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism adopt standard operating procedures for visits of different types of facilities that are monitored and for interviewing individually persons deprived of their liberty in all places of detention, and that it apply them consistently. It also recommends that the mechanism divide the tasks to be completed by all its members before their arrival at the place to be visited in order to avoid duplication of work, allow the efficient execution of the planned activities, enable members to cover all necessary areas and make better use of the limited resources. The mechanism should divide tasks and clearly attribute roles among the members of team. The tasks to be carried out during visits should be assigned on the basis of the professional qualifications of the mechanism’s members. 42. The Subcommittee also recommends that the mechanism’s member choose specific issues to be addressed with particular attention, depending on a case-by-case assessment of each place. Staff training on common approaches 43. While welcoming the information that all visits are unannounced, the Subcommittee emphasizes the confidential nature of the visits, as envisaged in the Optional Protocol. Furthermore, it has observed some inconsistencies among the different members in respect of the methodology used and the approach taken for conducting interviews during visits. 44. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism ensure that the standard operating procedures referred to in paragraphs 41 and 42 above are uniformly applied by all its members, with a view to ensuring consistency of working methods and the transfer of knowledge among all. Adequate training for all persons participating in visits, including associated experts, is essential and should be sought, including through the development of handbooks and assistance from international partners. 2. During visits Introduction to the authorities 45. The Subcommittee is concerned that members of the national preventive mechanism have not always introduced themselves well to the authorities in the places of deprivation of liberty that they have visited. It reiterates that members should clearly identify themselves as being part of the mechanism and not of the Human Rights Defender’s Office. During its visit to Armenia, the Subcommittee observed that none of the members of the team were clearly identifiable as mechanism members or experts, i.e. they were not wearing badges, which are important both for the purpose of identification and for increasing the visibility of the institution. 7