How to complain about the police

You can find more information within the 'How to Complain' section on this website.

A booklet entitled ‘Dealing With Complaints About the Police’ is also available.

Hard copies of these booklets are available from our Office.

Can your complaint be resolved without investigation?

Yes. Brief details are available on this website. The leaflet entitled ‘Informal Resolution’ tells how it may be possible to deal with your complaint without investigation and gives more information on this process. You can also get a hard copy of the booklet from our Office.

What service can you expect from this Office if you are a police officer?

If you look at our 'Information for Police Officers' section on the website you will find relevant information.

Is there information on how to make a complaint available for those who do not speak English?

Yes, information about how to make a complaint, as well as online forms for doing so, are available in a range of languages. See the relevant section at the top right of the home page.

Information and statistics about the complaints we receive

Statistical information about the number and type of complaints we receive is available here. Various other pieces of statistical information are regularly contained in our publications, such as our Annual Report and our Research publications. These are available in the publications section of the website.

The outcomes of our complaints and Investigations

Legislation allows the Police Ombudsman to make available some details of selected complaint investigations. Reports on the outcome of our investigations are available here.

General information about the Office

We publish a book called the 'Police Complaints System in Northern Ireland', which gives general information about our work, and a potted history of the organisation.

Our Annual Reports are published on our website and give a general view of our work on a yearly basis. You can find them here.

Research carried out by the Office

The Police Ombudsman's Statistics and Research Team analyses statistical data relating to the police complaints system. This includes examining trends and patterns related to police complaints.

Statistical publications are available here.

Our Roles and Responsibilities

Click here for an overview of the role of the Office.

You will find information about the Office's senior staff here, and information about our corporate values, service charter and code of ethics here.

The Laws governing what we do

Click here for a list of the Acts, Orders in Council, Statutory Rules and Statutory Instruments which govern the work of the Police Ombudsman's Office.

The objectives and targets the Police Ombudsman's Office sets itself

This information is contained in the Police Ombudsman's Annual Reports and Corporate Plans.
 

Our policies and procedures

The Police Ombudsman's main policies and procedures are available here. Other policies and procedures may be available on request.