Annual Report 2010 by the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture Detainees held for longer 109. In cases when detainees need to remain in holding areas for longer than 24 than 24 hours should be hours, and when advisable for medical reasons, they should be allowed out of allowed out of their cells for exercise their cells for exercise, but this is only done in exceptional cases. In the private interviews conducted during the inspection visits, several detainees mentioned this shortcoming. The points made in paragraph 62 above also apply here. Visits by legal counsel and 110. It was reported that the only visitors permitted to see detainees were their consular staff (when legal counsel and consular staff in the case of foreign nationals. Visits from relevant) are permitted family and friends are permitted only with the authorisation of the investigating magistrate, in accordance with Article 523 LECRIM, implemented as per SES Instruction 12/2007. The GC employs the means 111. Civil Guard officers employ the means of restraint generally used by of restraint generally used security forces, as regulated by Article 525 LECRIM, implemented as per SES by the security forces of the state Instruction 12/2007 (rules 7 and 9). These regulations stress the principles of exceptional circumstances and proportionality. In the course of the inspection visits carried out it was not possible to establish a general criterion concerning the handcuffing of detainees and the circumstances in which this is done. In holding areas GC officers 112. GC officers usually take off their regulation firearms when they are in a either do not wear their holding area, or at least remove the magazine. However, these precautions are not firearms or remove the magazines taken at the command headquarters in Ávila or at the barracks in Alsasua (Navarre) and El Prat de Llobregat airport (Barcelona). As mentioned above, in some cases detainees are guarded by the same officers who guard the main entrance to the establishments, who are of course armed. These two tasks should therefore be separated. Guards are not always 113. On several inspection visits it was observed that officers on guard duty properly identified were not always properly identified, in breach of SES Instruction 13/2007. Cases in point include the command headquarters in Gijon and Oviedo (Asturias), Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands) and Santander (Cantabria) and the barracks in Inca. The situation as regards 114. The situation as regards searches, strip searches and the confiscation and searches, strip searches and storage of belongings is basically similar to that indicated for the CNP in paragraphs the confiscation and storage of belongings is similar to that indicated for the CNP 67 to 69 above. In the course of the inspection visits it was observed that the regulation heat-sealable bags were unavailable at the command headquarters in Tarragona or at the barracks in El Astillero and Torrelavega (Cantabria), Inca and Sant Antoni de Portmany (Balearic Islands), Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) Malaga and El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) airports. It was requested that bags to be provided in order to guarantee proper storage of belongings. After the inspection visits to the command headquarters for Guipuzcoa (San Sebastian), Las Palmas (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Vizcaya (Bilbao) and Zaragoza and the barracks in Alsasua (Navarre), Casablanca (Zaragoza) and Guzmán el Bueno in Madrid it 72 THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN