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028 9082 8600 (Switchboard)
0845 601 2931 (Out of hours)
Who We Are
The Police Ombudsman's Office
Our Office has 150 staff and is based at Church Street in Belfast (opposite St Anne's Cathedral).
The Police Ombudsman, Al Hutchinson
Before being appointed Police Ombudsman, Mr Hutchinson was Oversight Commissioner with the Office of Oversight Commissioner, the body established in 2001 to oversee changes to policing in Northern Ireland.
Click here to visit Al Hutchinson's biography
Chief Executive, Sam Pollock
The Chief Executive is Mr Sam Pollock. His role is to oversee the smooth running of the Office and to support the Police Ombudsman in the exercise of his duties. He is also the Accounting Officer for the Police Ombudsman to the Department of Justice and carries executive responsibility for all resources and corporate services.
Click here to visit Mr Sam Pollock's biography
Senior Director of Investigations, Jim Coupland
The Senior Director of Investigations is Mr Jim Coupland. His role is to oversee the handling of all complaints referred to the Office by members of the public, by the Secretary of State, the Chief Constable or by the Policing Board.
Click here to visit Mr Jim Coupland's biography
Director of Investigations (Current), Pete O'Sullivan
The Director of Investigations (Current) is Mr Pete O'Sullivan. Pete is responsible for the management and control of all current complaints and investigations.
Click here to visit Mr Pete O'Sullivan's biography
Director of Investigations (Historic), Paul Holmes
The Director of Investigations (Historic) is Mr Paul Holmes. Paul is responsible for the management and control of all historic investigations, including both complaints and referrals from the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team (HET).
Click here to visit Mr Paul Holmes's biography
Director of Corporate Services, Olwen Laird
Olwen Laird is the director of Corporate Services. She is responsible for all administrative matters, including the proper spending of the Police Ombudsman's budget, its personnel matters and its Information Technology systems.
Director of Information, Tim Gracey
Tim Gracey is the Director of Information. The Directorate is responsible for the flow of information from the Police Ombudsman's Office to the public through various channels, including the media, its website and meetings within the community.
In addition, the Information Directorate is responsible for co-ordinating presentations to community and youth groups across Northern Ireland. If you are a member of a group who would like to learn more about the work of the Office, and an opportunity to ask questions of interest to your group, please contact either Gary Hewitt or Andrew Ruston. The Directorate will also deal with other requests for general information about the Office. You can use the contact details available on this website.
Director of Research and Performance, Greg Mullan
The role of the Research and Performance Directorate, which is led by Mr Greg Mullan, is to help develop policies and improve all areas of practice and performance throughout the Police Ombudsman's Office enabling it to more effectively carry out its statutory duties. The Directorate's purpose is to add strength and value to the work of the Office as a public body.
Director of Legal Services, Jim Kitson
The Director of Legal Service is Mr Jim Kitson. Jim is a Solicitor and was previously in Partnership in general practice. He is responsible for dealing with all legal matters affecting the office, including issues pertaining to Legislation, litigation matters and the provision of general legal advice to the Ombudsman and his staff.
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