medical exam that took about a minute. This practice does not allow the doctor to establish real contact with detainees, who only had the opportunity to answer some specific questions about their health. As a result, the examining doctor can easily miss injuries that are not visible on the face or hands, and the detainee has limited opportunity to voice complaints of ill-treatment. Detainees were unable to communicate information about any kind of abuse suffered, and medical personnel could easily overlook injuries that might be considered out of the ordinary. The delegation noted that such situations have serious consequences for detainees who later wish to complain about mistreatment by police officers. As mentioned above, some members of the delegation were told confidentially by medical personnel that in some cases it was not possible to conduct an impartial medical evaluation and that medical professionals had been given orders about what should and should not be included in the medical report. The Subcommittee wishes to register its concern about this situation, which represents a real obstacle to the prevention of torture. 136. The Subcommittee urges the Mexican authorities to ensure the impartiality of the work of medical professionals who are asked to provide an expert opinion. In addition, the Subcommittee recommends that the State party ensure that medical examinations are carried out in accordance with the principle of doctor-patient confidentiality: no one other than medical personnel and the patient should be present during the examination. In exceptional cases, if the doctor considers that a detained person poses a danger, special security measures, such as the presence of a police officer nearby, can be taken. Except in such situations, police officers should not be within hearing or sight of the place where the medical exam is performed. The Subcommittee believes that all persons detained by the police should be examined by a medical professional at the earliest opportunity. 137.The Subcommittee wishes to make some comments on certain situations that members of the delegation found to be of concern during their visit to the country. Although the issue of arraigo (pre-charge detention) is addressed in a separate section in this report, in relation to medical records and the considerations raised here about medical opinions, at the federal pre-charge detention centre in Mexico City the delegation noted that, according to the medical records, about half the detainees had injuries of recent origin when they arrived at the facility. The number of injuries and their distribution all over the body reflected in the medical records confirmed the statements made by most of the detainees interviewed, who reported that they had been beaten on various parts of their bodies when they were arrested and had continued to be beaten during transport to the police station. The Subcommittee delegation examined the records and found a predominance of police brutality and abuse of detainees by officials affiliated with the police force. The Subcommittee is of the view that the failure by the examining physicians to investigate the origin of the numerous injuries found represents a serious shortcoming with regard to the preventive aspect of routine medical examinations in the State party and is therefore an impediment to the prevention of torture. 138.The variation in the number of injuries reported by doctors in different institutions may reflect differences in the pattern of abuse, but it may also reflect differences in doctors’ reporting practices. The delegation observed that, the State party’s efforts to date notwithstanding, the effective implementation of the Istanbul Protocol in Mexico warrants special attention. 139. The Subcommittee recommends that all medical examinations of detainees include: (a) a medical history and a description by the person examined of any acts of violence to which they have been subjected; (b) a record of current health status, including the presence of any symptoms; (c) the findings of the medical examination, in particular a description of any injuries found and a note indicating whether the detainee ’ s entire body was examined; (d) the doctor ’ s conclusions regarding the consistency of the preceding three elements. (g)Reporting of torture and ill-treatment 140.The delegation members noted that in certain locations and at certain times, detainees were at greater risk of being subjected to acts of torture or ill-treatment. In the course of arrests, for example, some places are out of public view and often are cordoned off by the authorities, who are empowered both to investigate criminal acts and to charge individuals suspected of being responsible for committing such acts. 141.The Subcommittee welcomes the installation of video cameras in police facilities and some public prosecution agencies with a view to preventing cases of torture or ill-treatment. However, these measures should be viewed as only a small part of the effort that needs to be undertaken in order to prevent any kind of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Most of the alleged acts of police brutality reported to the delegation during its visit to the State party appear to have occurred in the street or in police vans during transportation of detainees to police facilities. Almost all the detainees who alleged having been subjected to some form of abuse said that these acts took place outside police facilities. Most of them also reported that they were blindfolded while they were being transported. The delegation identified sites that matched exactly the descriptions given by persons who reported having been the victims of some form of violence, such as the old facilities within the complex of the Office of the Attorney-General in Guadalajara. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party increase police oversight measures in order to ensure that superior officers carry out their supervisory tasks and keep detailed records of how police officers who make arrests are carrying out their work. 142.In all the institutions visited, the delegation heard testimony from detainees who alleged that they had been subjected to some type of physical and/or psychological abuse by police at the time of their arrest or at some time during their detention. The Subcommittee notes that of all the reports of abuse heard by the delegation during its visit, the most alarming allegations came from people held under arraigo (investigative or pre-charge detention). At the high-security investigative detention facility in the Federal District, the delegation heard several accounts of police brutality committed at the time of arrest or during transport to the facility. In interviews with women held under arraigo, the members of the delegation heard allegations of cruel and inhuman treatment, including sexual abuse allegedly committed by police officers. In the case of the arraigo detention facility visited in Guadalajara, most of the detainees interviewed told delegation members that they had been subjected to some kind of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by the police. The delegation’s doctors examined many of the detainees and documented injuries consistent with the allegations made by those people.