Improving Police Integrity and Accountability to the Community

Abstract

This paper looks at the implications for police complaints procedures of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 which establishes under an Ombudsman independent civilian investigation of complaints against the police. The paper also considers the problems surrounding police investigation of complaints and concludes that the move towards shared investigation or civilian investigation of serious complaints against the police has become much more likely. This is in part due to the nature of the evidence given to the recent inquiry into police discipline and complaints by the Home Affairs Committee. The evidence suggested that it was never likely that the police could act independently and wholly objectively in conducting investigations against fellow officers. For these and other reasons it is argued that the Northern Ireland Ombudsman, with civilian investigators given the powers and privileges of the constable, could provide a useful example for future reform of complaints mechanisms in the UK.