Welcome to the UK National Preventive Mechanism
The UK National Preventive Mechanism was established in 2009 to prevent torture and ill treatment of people deprived of their liberty, and to strengthen the protection of people in detention through independent monitoring.
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11 September
10 September
Explore the UK NPM Reporting Dashboard
The UK NPM’s Reporting Dashboard, launched in August 2025, is a single database of all recommendations and best practices made by the 21 scrutiny bodies that make up the UK NPM. The Dashboard promotes transparency around treatment of people deprived of their liberty in UK detention settings, enabling users to search, filter, and conduct analysis by creating custom maps and graphs.
Explore the dashboardAbout the NPM
- The NPM was established in March 2009 after the UK ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in 2003
- The NPM Central Team leads and supports 21 scrutiny bodies across the United Kingdom to ground their work in human rights principles
- According to OPCAT Article 4, NPMs must be able to make unannounced visits to any place where persons are or may be deprived of their liberty
- The UK government must account for the NPM’s ability to perform its functions to the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT) and other UN bodies
- The NPM works thematically in areas of concern in places where people are deprived of their liberty in the UK
- There are currently more than 3,500 staff and volunteers undertaking the OPCAT mandate in the UK