HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA - Annual report 2020 4.4.1. Monitoring places of detention and care homes The Commission, through its head office and regional offices, made 1003 visits to police stations during 2020. 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 102 visits to other places of detention and care homes. Usually, these visits are conducted 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. However, again as a result of staff shortages due to the pandemic, the head office carried out the majority of visits in the reporting year. Despite the fewer number of visits than in the previous years due to staff shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission made successful interventions to prevent the incidence of torture and improve conditions in places of detention. Accordingly, the HRCSL held the following meetings in relation to conditions of detention:  Several meetings with the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), CID, and Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) regarding the conditions of 65