National Preventive Mechanism Third Annual Report 2011–12
on 31 March 2009 (see Appendix I). At
the time, the government also noted that
additional bodies may be added to the NPM
in the future. The bodies making up the
NPM monitor various types of detention,
including prisons, police custody, court
custody, customs custody facilities, secure
accommodation for children, and immigration,
mental health and military detention.
Given the scale and complexity of the
UK’s NPM – the majority of NPMs in other
countries are single-body entities – it was
agreed that HM Inspectorate of Prisons
(HMIP) would carry out the coordination
and communication function of the NPM.
The purpose of coordination is to promote
cohesion and a shared understanding
of OPCAT among the NPM members, to
encourage collaboration and the sharing
of information and good practice, and to
facilitate joint activities. The role is performed
by an NPM coordinator, appointed by HMIP to
liaise with all members of the NPM, advise
members on the effective implementation
of OPCAT, share information with them, and
provide support on policy and human rights
issues. While based at HMIP, the coordinator
represents the interests of all members,
liaises with the Subcommittee on Prevention
of Torture, other NPMs and external
stakeholders, prepares the annual report, and
organises meetings and workshops.
While coordination is essential to the full
and effective implementation of OPCAT in
the UK, the independence of individual NPM
members is respected, as is their ability to set
their own priorities for detention monitoring.
The essential requirement of OPCAT, that
all places of detention are independently
monitored, is fulfilled by individual members
of the NPM or by members working in
partnership with one another. Detailed
findings relating to the treatment of and
conditions for detainees are published in the
inspection or annual reports of each member.
Currently, the UK’s NPM is made up of the
following bodies:
England and Wales
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP)
Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB)
Independent Custody Visiting Association
(ICVA)1
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
(HMIC)
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
Office of the Children’s Commissioner for
England (OCC)
Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales
(CSSIW)
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s
Services and Skills (Ofsted)
Scotland
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for
Scotland (HMIPS)
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
for Scotland (HMICS)
Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC)
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
(MWCS)
Care Inspectorate (CI)2
1 Although the Independent Custody Visiting Association is listed as an organisation operating in England and Wales, its
membership includes independent custody visitors who operate in Scotland (ICVS).
2 The Care Inspectorate’s detention monitoring role was formerly the function of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation
of Care, or Care Commission. In April 2011, the Care Commission, the Social Work Inspection Agency and Directorate 6 of HM
Inspectorate of Education became Social Care and Social Work Inspection Scotland (known as the ‘Care Inspectorate’). It is
anticipated that the Care Inspectorate will be formally designated as a member of the NPM in place of the Care Commission.
8