Section three The NPM in 2016–17 Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) The CPT conducted its eighth periodic visit to the UK from 30 March to 12 April 2016. The CPT delegation visited prisons, police custody, immigration detention and secure mental health establishments in England. This was the first time that the CPT had visited secure mental health establishments in England. The Committee met with government, NPM members and other stakeholders during their visit. The UK NPM coordination provided advice and contacts to the CPT secretariat in advance of the visit. The CPT’s report was published in early April 2017 and its findings will be considered in the ninth NPM annual report. The CPT also conducted its first ever visit to the UK’s Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in Cyprus in February 2017, which is an Overseas Territory of the UK. The delegation assessed the conditions of detention and treatment of people held in Dhekelia Prison, police stations and the British Forces’ Service Custody Facility. They also assessed the situation of migrants held within the SBA. NPM Observatory In July 2016, the NPM learned of plans by a group of torture prevention experts and French academics to establish an ‘independent observatory of NPMs’. The observatory set out its initial aims to ‘contribute to the development of [NPMs’] preventative function by providing an independent, consistent and constructive assessment of their effectiveness. Just as the independent assessment by NPMs of places of detention should be an encouragement to improve torture prevention measures, so constructive, independent assessment of NPMs themselves should encourage development of their own effectiveness.’ The NPM Observatory was subsequently established as an NGO in France. Members of the UK NPM discussed the plans during the year, concluding that they had some concerns about the proposals made by the NPM Observatory. NPM members welcome the national and international scrutiny they receive and are keen to strengthen the NPM through receiving feedback; however, it is not clear from the initial proposals what additional scrutiny and feedback the Observatory would provide to members beyond that already received. Some members were concerned that their own legal structures would make it impossible for them to subject themselves to the NPM Observatory’s scrutiny because of its status as a French NGO. The UK NPM shared the disappointment expressed by some other European NPMs that they had not been involved or consulted in the development of the plans. The NPM Chair attended a consultation meeting organised by the Observatory in February 2017 and provided suggestions on how the Observatory’s role could be made more useful to NPMs like the UK’s. To date the UK NPM has not committed to inviting or entering a formal relationship with the NPM Observatory. Collaboration As in previous years, the NPM and its members collaborated actively with a range of international actors, including NGOs expert in torture prevention, inspectorates and monitoring bodies from other countries, and academics. 69