Police custody remains a highly vulnerable period with significant risks of torture and ill-treatment, especially in the hours following arrest. Despite established international and European safeguards, poor detention conditions and coercive practices persist in many countries.
To address these ongoing challenges, the joint European Union-Council of Europe project "Support to Council of Europe for EU network of prison monitoring bodies" (European NPM Forum) held the first day of its Annual Conference in Strasbourg and online, gathering over 70 participants from National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs), international monitoring bodies and experts, and representatives of Council of Europe.
The conference focused on key issues such as access to legal and medical assistance, treatment of vulnerable groups, including foreign nationals, juveniles and persons with disabilities. Drawing from the European Court of Human Rights’ case-law and the standards of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), speakers stressed the importance of key safeguards such as timely legal assistance, access to adequate medical care, and proper registration procedures.
They also emphasised on States’ obligations, not only to refrain from acts amounting to ill-treatment, but to also prevent situations of ill-treatment, notably by considering specific vulnerabilities.
Other discussions addressed the difficulties in monitoring police custody in specific contexts, such as emergency legislative context where police powers are growing, or mass protests.
In addition, NPM representatives shared practical insights into monitoring of police detention, highlighting innovative methods and strategies to prevent abuse during short-term custody. The Conference reaffirmed the vital role of independent monitoring in preventing ill-treatment and promoting transparency, fostering peer learning and the exchange of promising practices.
Concluding with a strong call to action, participants emphasised the need for continued alignment with international standards, strengthened capacities of preventive mechanisms, and deeper collaboration to uphold accountability, transparency and the protection of human dignity in all places of police detention.
The current phase of the European NPM Forum is implemented within the framework of the Project “Support to Council of Europe for EU network of prison monitoring bodies”, co-funded by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice and Consumers (DG Justice) and the Council of Europe and implemented by the latter.
