 Police stations must be hygienic and have functioning heating systems.  Police stations must have toilet facilities for female personnel.  Police stations must be accessible barrier-free. The existing staged plan under the Federal Act on the Equal Treatment of Persons with Disabilities must be followed. 2.6.5.5. Scope of the NPM’s mandate When the commissions criticised the equipment of police stations or the working conditions of police officers, the Federal Ministry of the Interior repeatedly questioned whether this was included in the mandate of the NPM. Thus, for example, after visits to two police stations, the NPM recommended that printers and a scanner for finger prints be acquired. Equipment at police stations The commission found that there were continual difficulties in the records department of the Purkersdorf police station. About 40 to 50 criminal background checks were made at that police station. Since this police station has no scanner to directly enter the fingerprints, an employee must drive from Purkersdorf to Klosterneuburg with the fingerprints in order to scan them. This unnecessarily ties up staff resources on a regular basis. During a visit to the Graz-Hauptbahnhof police station, the commission observed that there were only three printers for ten computers. The inadequate equipment led to delays and therefore to detentions longer than necessary. Leaving the interrogation room to go to the central printer while leaving the person being interrogated behind constitutes a security risk that should not be underestimated. Especially in light of the heavy workload found at many police stations, appropriate technical equipment is important, particularly to guarantee secure operations and avoid delays. The Federal Ministry of the Interior was of the opinion that the issue of furnishing police stations with technical equipment was outside of the NPM mandate. Police stations should doubtlessly be considered places of detention within the meaning of the Article 4 (1) of the OPCAT. In the opinion of the NPM, organisational conditions at a police station, which relate to police interrogations, the capacity of the facility or the efficiency of work processes, affect the execution of measures that restrict freedom. Questions on equipment, even in a broader sense, are connected to the protection and promotion of human rights. They are therefore within the mandate of the NPM – contrary to the opinion of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Effects on the deprivation of liberty 141