Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland

The Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI; Irish: Ombudsman Póilíní do Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: Owersman fur tha Polis o Norlin Airlann) is a non-departmental public body intended to provide an independent, impartial police complaints system for the people and police under the Police (Northern Ireland) Acts of 1998 and 2000.

Office Structure and Legal Remit

The law in Northern Ireland does not permit the police to investigate complaints made by members of the public about the conduct of police officers. These must be referred instead to the Police Ombudsman’s Office for independent investigation.

The Office has a complement of around 150, about two thirds of whom are employed within the Office’s investigative teams.

There are two main strands to the investigative work of the Office – current and historical. Its current work involves dealing with complaints about the conduct of police officers during incidents which have occurred in the previous 12 months.