Report of the Human Rights Defender on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland in 2014 Part I. 1. Organisation of the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism Pursuant to the Statute of the Office of the Human Rights Defender, one of the Departments of the Office of the Human Rights Defender constitutes the National Preventive Mechanism5. The NPM Department is also supported by the personnel of the Offices of Local Representatives of the HRD in Gdańsk, Wrocław and Katowice. The NPM Department is responsible for visiting all types of places of detention within the meaning of Article 4 of the OPCAT6. Appropriate assessment of the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty requires information from various sources which, in many cases, is impossible without the support and knowledge of experts. Therefore, visits are carried out together with external experts – doctors: psychiatrists, geriatricians and clinical psychologists7. 2. Financing In accordance with the Annual Report on the Implementation of Expenditures of the State Budget and the Budget of European Funds Broken Down by Task, the Office of the Human Rights Defender disbursed PLN 3,030,816.31 in 2014 for implementing the measure of Performing the Function of the National Preventive Mechanism, including PLN 214,679.99 for capital expenditures and the remaining PLN 2,816,136.32. In 2014, the tasks of the National Preventive Mechanism were carried out by 12 5 6 7 § 6 of the Annex to Order No 25/2014 of the Human Rights Defender of 12 September 2014 on the Statute of the Office of the Human Rights Defender. “Each State Party shall allow visits, in accordance with the present Protocol, by the mechanisms referred to in Articles 2 and 3 to any place under its jurisdiction and control where persons are or may be deprived of their liberty, either by virtue of an order given by a public authority or at its instigation or with its consent or acquiescence (hereinafter referred to as “places of detention”). List of experts: cf. Part II. 10