NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM (NPM) During the reporting period the NPM confirmed that the problem of non-existent training for criminalistic inspectors about the techniques of hearing of suspects is still present, that most of police department s and police stations visited by the NPM allocated the premises for hearing of persons but that these are not equipped with technical equipment for audio and/or visual recording of the hearing procedure as well as that in a greater number of police stations the objects taken with regards to the criminal act are kept at the offices of criminalistic inspectors, not at special premises designated for their keeping so that there is the need for the improvement of the actions with regards to taken objects emerging from the criminal act. Furthermore, the NPM confirmed that the Ministry of Interior initiated the activities on the improvement of the conditions for staying of detained persons at the premises for detention and that in a number of police stations the premises were renovated in compliance with standards. With regards to the rights of persons who have been ordered custody or who are serving the sentence of imprisonment, the Administration for the Enforcement of Penal Sanctions continued with the investments in material conditions of accommodation of persons deprived of liberty and increase of the capacities of the institute for the execution of criminal sanctions, but the lack of personnel in almost all services is still presents, which has a negative impact on the protection and exercise of rights of persons deprived of liberty. In the visited residential care institutions there are still many beneficiaries accommodated there for a long period of time, the lack of personnel for the work with beneficiaries is apparent and accommodation conditions in individual institutions of social protection are still unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the application of restrictive measures toward beneficiaries is continued, even though the stated is not prescribed by the law and the application of the measure of restraint of beneficiaries is frequently used by the medical staff who did not pass the special training, and in some cases also by non-medical staff. In the visited psychiatric institutions the need for better recording of the data on the application of the measure of physical constraint by execution of special forms for informed consent of the patient to subsequently introduced medical measure was noticed, as well as for continual specialistic education of medium medical staff and establishment of the institution for stationary treatment of children under the age of 14 who are addicted to psychoactive substances. During the reporting period the NPM initiated the supervision of the forced return of foreigners and with regards to this established the cooperation with the MoI- Border Police Directorate and especially with the Reception center for foreigners at Padinska Skela. During the performed supervisions it was noticed that police officers who implement the removals respect the integrity and dignity of foreigners and show a high level of professionalism in performance of this activity. However, there are certain shortcomings identified during the preparation of foreigners for removal, which are reflected in untimely information of foreigners on the forthcoming removal, inability of foreigners to inform third persons about it, difficulties in communication of police officers with foreigners due to lack of translators, as well as shortcomings in the provision of health protection at the Reception center for foreigners, since at this institution there is no constantly present medical staff. - 13 -