HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019 In 2019, the Commission, through its head office and regional offices, made 2265 visits to police stations. The objective of these visits is to prevent incidents of torture and other forms of custodial violations in Sri Lanka through efficient proactive and reactive measures, to initiate steps to identify officers who commit such violations, and recommend remedial action, in addition to coordinate and collaborate with other relevant government and non-governmental institutions to prevent the incidence of torture. Certain common issues were identified during these visits, including: - Failure to follow due process during arrest - Ill-treatment and torture in custody - Delay in producing suspects before courts - Overcrowding and lack of basic amenities in the cells HRCSL repeatedly highlights these observations in its policy interventions to address torture, ill-treatment, and conditions of detention. In addition, the Commission made 273 visits to other places of detention and care homes. These visits are mostly through the regional offices. The monitoring activities of the regional and sub-offices are crucial in expanding the reach of the Commission in terms of its mandate to monitor places of detention to ensure the rights of detainees. 71