People with Disabilities

The Police Ombudsman’s Office tries to make the police complaints service as accessible as possible to everyone.

We have thought about some of the obstacles people with disabilities could face when trying to make complaints about the police and have put some facilities in place to help overcome them.

We have outlined below some of the ways in which we try to help those people with a disability.

Help for those with a hearing impairment.

If you have a hearing impairment, we have in place a portable induction loop system which will help you conduct a discussion with us. Following such a discussion if necessary we would then be able to organise any special help which may be needed when we meet to discuss your complaint in detail, for example sign language interpreter.

The videos in our Video/Audio section are subtitled, and a video explaining how to make a complaint about police officers has also been signed.

Help for those with a visual impairment.

If you have a visual impairment this website is enabled with enhanced software (Browsealoud) which is capable of converting text to audio, this facility may also be of assistance for those who require literacy support. A Browsealoud button can be found at the top right of every page on the site.

Making a complaint can be quite a detailed, paper-bound process, where necessary we will make arrangements to meet you and assist you in the completion of any paperwork. We would of course keep you updated verbally on the progress in dealing with your complaint.

Help for those with reduced mobility.

There is a map elsewhere on this site which explains exactly where the Police Ombudsman’s Office is should you want to visit us. If you have difficulties with your mobility you should know that we always have a member of staff on duty at our front door who will be able to assist you. Our building and the offices you may need to visit are totally accessible by wheel chair.

If you feel you need parking facilities it may be best that you let us know before you plan your journey. Unfortunately we do not have public parking spaces at our premises and the nearest facilities are on-street parking which is a minimum of 15 yards from our front door. We do however, have a garage within our complex and if we arrange it before hand could make a parking space available for you.

If your mobility issues are such that you cannot visit us, and we feel that we need to meet you, we will make arrangements to visit you.

You can bring a friend.

If, for whatever reason, you feel that you may be uncomfortable talking to our staff, please remember that you can bring a friend with you to help you overcome any nervousness.

We are well aware that we may not have thought of everything and some people may have very individual needs. If you still feel you may need particular help tell us about it and together we will overcome it.

Twitter home