fundamental and human rights �.� national preventive mechanism against torture Inspection visits require up-to-date information on the detention facilities in use Upon arrival at the site, it became apparent that the police prison had not been in use since 2014 at the latest. The visit had been planned on the basis of a list of police prisons in use, obtained from the National Police Board in November 2017. According to the list, the police prison contained seven cells for persons deprived of their liberty by virtue of an offence. The Ombudsman noted that the availability of reliable and up-to-date information on police detention facilities is crucial to the successful investigation of police activities. As a rule, visits to detention facilities are made unannounced, so checking in advance whether the detention facilities are in operation is not feasible. The list provided to the Ombudsman contained other errors as well. The Ombudsman requested the National Police Board to deliver an up-to-date report on the detention facilities used by the police (4393/2018). Compliance with the National Police Board’s circular in police prisons In November 2017, the National Police Board issued a circular on matters that should be taken into account in police detention facilities. The circular contained 17 rectification requests, mostly based on observations made by the Ombudsman and the legality oversight unit of the National Police Board. The visits showed that the implementation of the rectifications required by the circular varied between police prisons. The NPM noted shortcomings in areas such as the storage of medicines, safeguarding the confidentiality of telephone calls with legal representatives as well as knowledge of the provisions concerning appeal in the Police Custody Act. After the visits, the police departments were requested to indicate how they had taken each item of the circular into account. The outdoor exercise area at the Kajaani Police Prison. Shortcomings in outdoor exercise areas Not all police prisons have adequate outdoor exercise yards, and some are lacking them altogether. The acceptability of temporary solutions made during renovations also requires attention. Even temporary solutions are required to comply with the minimum requirements stipulated by law. A temporary outdoor exercise area had been constructed for a police prison. The area was a small and dim veneer enclosure with direct access from the detention area. This exercise area was not fit for purpose (4394/2018). The NPM noted a strong smell of tobacco in an outdoor exercise area of a police prison opened in May 2018. The Deputy-Ombudsman noted that the prison should consider how prisoners could be afforded the opportunity to take exercise in fresh air. The cleaning of outdoor exercise areas also requires more attention (3332/2018). The Häme Police Department reported that there are only two outdoor exercise areas, one of which is mainly reserved for smokers deprived of their liberty. The other exercise area is only available to smokers when the police prison is so full that 79