- 52 III. RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSIONS A. Law enforcement agencies 120. A considerable number of persons interviewed by the delegation in the course of the visit alleged that they had been ill-treated by law enforcement officials. The allegations concerned in the main the police; however, certain of them related to Coast Guard officials. The ill-treatment alleged consisted mostly of kicks and blows with hands, fists, batons or various other objects, often inflicted during questioning. Certain allegations also involved the use of excessive force at the time of arrest, or ill-treatment of prisoners during transfers. In a few cases, detained persons bore marks which were consistent with their allegations. Further, in certain cases, the credibility of the allegations of ill-treatment was supported by the detained persons’ demeanour: they were clearly fearful that they would be ill-treated, in retaliation, if the law enforcement officials concerned learned that they had complained to the CPT’s delegation. In response to previous CPT visit reports, the Greek authorities have argued that cases of police ill-treatment are few and far between. In the light of the information available to the CPT, it would appear that the Greek authorities are seriously underestimating the scale of the problem. 121. The CPT has recommended that it be vigorously recalled to all law enforcement officials, at regular intervals, that the ill-treatment of detained persons is not acceptable and will be severely sanctioned. Similarly, they should be reminded that no more force than is necessary should be used at the time of arrest and that there can be no justification for striking persons arrested once they have been brought under control. The CPT has also stressed the need for adequate professional training of an on-going nature at all levels of the law enforcement agencies' hierarchy. More specifically, it has recommended that the Greek authorities seek to integrate human rights concepts into practical training for high-risk situations, such as the arrest and questioning of suspects. 122. Another effective means of preventing ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty lies in the diligent examination by the relevant authorities of all complaints of such treatment brought before them and, where appropriate, the imposition of a suitable penalty; this will have a very strong deterrent effect. In this connection, the CPT has made detailed recommendations concerning the action to be taken by prosecutors and judges when there are indications that ill-treatment may have occurred. Further, appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that persons who may have been victims of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials are not dissuaded from lodging a formal complaint.