CAT/OP/PRT/1 confidentially12 and directly, and without any form of internal or external scrutiny or censorship, to independent, impartial and effective bodies with the power to investigate and trigger appropriate protective and remedial action. The Subcommittee also recommends that the State party ensure that those submitting such complaints are not subjected to any form of reprisal or sanctions, including physical, disciplinary or administrative sanctions. 51. During the meetings with representatives of the Inspectorate General of Home Affairs and the national preventive mechanism, the Subcommittee delegation noted that many cases had been closed not only because of a lack of evidence but also because of incomplete and insufficient documentation. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party ensure that the educational and training programmes for police and prison personnel includes the proper documentation and complaint processing methods. 52. The Subcommittee notes that the national preventive mechanism currently has 15 staff members who simultaneously perform other functions of the ombudsperson’s office and that the Inspectorate General of Home Affairs consists of 12 seconded police officers. The Subcommittee urges the State party to ensure that the resources allocated to these institutions provide for an adequate number of qualified staff members and enable them to carry out their professional duties efficiently. IV. Prevention of torture and ill-treatment A. Police 53. There were no detainees in any of the police stations visited by the Subcommittee during the course of the visit. In general, the registration and transfer of inmates and the conditions in the cells seemed satisfactory. Nevertheless, the delegation was informed by some inmates interviewed in prisons that they had been kicked and punched by police during their arrest. None of them had filed official complaints, and they referred to the practice as “normal” and something that “happens all the time”. 54. The Subcommittee considers it unacceptable that persons who are arrested believe that it is normal to be kicked and punched by a police officer and recommends that the State party enhance educational and oversight measures to ensure that the behaviour of police officers is in full compliance with prevention of torture and human rights standards. B. Prisons 55. The Subcommittee did not encounter evidence of widespread violence, torture or illtreatment in prisons. In general, and with few exceptions, there was no impression of intimidation or fear among inmates. There were, however, some allegations of beatings, including a case that resulted in the transfer of the guard in question to another prison and a case in which a man on hunger strike had been kicked and punched. Most inmates reported that at Lisbon Central and Caxias Prisons the guards administered severe beatings to the prisoners there. In addition, there were allegations of verbal insults by the guards. 56. The Subcommittee wants to draw the State party’s attention to the situation in Porto Prison, which was extremely overcrowded on the day the delegation visited. There were 1,077 inmates in the facility, which has an official capacity of 686, meaning that the prison was operating at over 150 per cent of capacity. No extra staff had been provided to make up for the increased occupancy, resulting in a severe risk to health and life. Inmates reported that if there were an emergency they might die in their cells, as guards did not respond to their calls. Indeed, the delegation experienced this first-hand when a bell in a disciplinary 12 10 United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), rule 57.