| This is the first occasion on which the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been the subject of scrutiny by this committee. The task of establishing the Office has been considerable, and we have been impressed by the dedication and leadership demonstrated by Mrs Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman, and her staff, in constructing from scratch a credible police complaints service in Northern Ireland.
The difficulty of this task was not eased by the failure of the government to provide Mrs O'Loan with formal guidance until May 2001, several months after the Office became operational. We are seeking an explanation from the government for this lapse.
Despite the progress made in its first four years, the operations of the Office are not yet fully satisfactory. Improvements can and must be made:
- The Office is proceeding with a replacement IT system because the existing system has proved inadequate after only four years. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) must ensure that the Office has the resources and skills to procure and install a cost effective and fully efficient system with a reasonable life span.
- The Ombudsman's powers of mediation require to be streamlined to provide extra flexibility when dealing with complaints. This is likely to require legislation which we hope the government will consider and facilitate quickly.
- While the Office's standing with the general public now appears good, its standing with police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is less so. We recognise that the relationship between the police and those 'policing the police' will always present very considerable management challenges. There is no 'quick fix' here, and progress is likely to be incremental. The managements of the Office and PSNI have taken steps to ensure sound communication. The Office must persevere in these efforts and, by punctilious regard to transparent investigative procedures of the highest professional quality, gain the respect and confidence of growing numbers of rank and file officers.
- The effectiveness of the new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland depends, in very large measure, upon the main players maintaining excellent mutual co-operation. The relationship between the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Office could be improved. These bodies need to take steps to ensure that their working relationship is fully satisfactory at all levels.
- The present arrangements for investigating complaints of maladministration against the Ombudsman should be given the opportunity to 'bed down'. Ministers, as well as officials should invariably see such complaints. They have not done so in the past. We are pleased that Mr Ian Pearson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office, and the Minister responsible for security and policing, has given us a firm commitment that this will now happen. The Department should publish the number and outcome of such complaints in its Annual Departmental Report as a matter of routine.
A heavy responsibility rests on those concerned directly with policing in Northern Ireland to sustain and build up the confidence of the general public in the new policing arrangements. This will be achieved where all those involved in policing matters apply exemplary professional standards consistently to their work. Where standards slip, public confidence will erode.
Nowhere does the responsibility rest more heavily for ensuring that the public have confidence in their police service than on the Ombudsman and her staff. We do not underestimate the difficulties of her task. This report highlights how much has been achieved since the Office was established in 2000; and how much remains to be done. We trust that when we next examine the Office, the achievements to date will have provided a secure and sustainable basis for further development.
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