CJI Chief Inspector publishes report on investigation of abuse of position concerns and complaints

CJI Chief Inspector Jacqui Durkin has published an independent inspection report on the investigation by the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI) of abuse of position allegations involving Police Officers and staff of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

“This report provides assurance to victims, the community and the PSNI that when allegations of corruption of this type are made or where complaints are made that a Police Officer or PSNI staff member has abused their position or authority for their own or someone else’s benefit or for financial gain or a sexual purpose, that these concerns are treated seriously and effectively investigated in a timely way,” said Ms Durkin.
 
“Abuse of position damages public confidence and trust in policing and the PSNI so it is important that we can have confidence the work of the OPONI in this area which will act as a deterrent to others. 
 
“We have made five strategic and six operational recommendations in this report which if implemented will further strengthen the current arrangements. They include the development of a definition of abuse of position and a linked abuse of position strategy which will assist the OPONI in identifying and undertaking their investigations. 
 
“We have also recommended that the Department of Justice (DoJ) should bring forward a legislative amendment which will where appropriate assist the PSNI to deal with abuse of position offences where there is sufficient evidence of gross misconduct and it is in the public interest, that a Police Officer can be dismissed without delay.
 
We have also called for the OPONI to be included in the Northern Ireland Victim Charter so the entitlements and guarantees currently afforded to all victims of crime are extended to victims reporting allegations to the OPONI,” said Ms Durkin.
 
At the time of the inspection fieldwork in July 2024, the OPONI had 19 active cases under investigation of allegations of abuse of position for sexual purposes – the highest number to date and we understand that since then further cases are under investigation. 
 
“With investigation and decisions by the OPONI to recommend abuse of position cases for prosecution to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) stretching to 510 calendar days and 397 calendar days for no prosecution or diversion decision, the Police Ombudsman’s Office must work to ensure that where possible, steps are taken to improve timeliness and reduce delay.
 
“I welcome the acceptance of the inspection recommendations by the OPONI, the DoJ, the PPS and the PSNI and their commitment to implementation and delivering further improvement in this area for the benefit of us all,” said the Chief Inspector.