attended by the experts of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), the representatives of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and 20 contact persons appointed by national mechanisms, operating in the Council of Europe Member States. The representative of the National Preventive Mechanism appointed as a contact person in Poland also took part in the meeting. During the meeting, the tasks of SPT, CPT and national preventive mechanisms in the field of preventive activity were debated. The representative of the NPM discussed the role of national preventive mechanisms based on Polish experience. During the meeting, attention was drawn to the need of distinguishing between visits carried out upon an individual complaint and preventive activity of the national preventive mechanisms. Moreover, a decision was made that the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland would be the first to participate in the „On-site Visit & Exchange of Experience" training scheme3. Therefore, between 4 and 7 May 2010 in Warsaw, the APT, CPT, SPT and Council of Europe experts debated on the details concerning the National Preventive Mechanism activity and visits to various places of detention with employees performing the NPM tasks. Particularly significant issues concerning, among others, the methodology of visits, the essence of prevention, the role of external experts in visits, the way of interviewing persons deprived of liberty and formulating recommendations were discussed during the training course. In addition, experts of the abovementioned institutions, carried out visits to three various types of places of detention with the representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism (psychiatric hospital; pre-trial detention centre; juvenile detention centre and juvenile shelter), taking part therein as observers, which then allowed to analyse the methodology of visits and problems faced at such units. On 24 and 25 March 2010 in Padua, the first workshop for the national preventive mechanisms, entitled “The role of national preventive mechanisms in preventing ill-treatment in psychiatric institutions"4, took place.The representative of the National Preventive Mechanism from the Public Administration, Healthcare and Protection of Aliens Department took part in the workshop. On 9 and 10 June 2010 in Tirana, another thematic workshops were organised for the representatives of European NPMs. They were dedicated to the Role of National Preventive Mechanisms in protecting individuals’ key rights upon deprivation of liberty by the police. The representative of the National Preventive Mechanism from the Criminal Executive Law Department took part in the workshop. During the meeting, attention was drawn to international legal standards regarding persons deprived of liberty by the Police and the issue of providing medical care for the detained was discussed. Issues concerning the access to an attorney gained much coverage.                                                                                                                                                                                            the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) and the Association for the Prevention of Torture. 3 Training course financed by the Council of Europe and European Commission. 4 Thematic workshops take place under the project “Setting up an active network of national preventive mechanisms against torture, an activity of the Peer-to-Peer Network”. In 2010 workshops were organized in Padua (Italy), Tirana (Albania) and Yerevan (Armenia).