Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998

57 Formal investigation by a police officer

(1) Where a complaint is referred to the Chief Constable under section 54(3)(b), he shall appoint a police officer to investigate it formally on behalf of the Ombudsman.

(2) A member of the police force may not be appointed to investigate a complaint formally if he has previously been appointed to act in relation to it under section 53(4).

(3) The Ombudsman may require—

(a) that no appointment of a person to conduct an investigation under this section shall be made unless the Ombudsman has given notice to the Chief Constable that he approves the person whom the Chief Constable proposes to appoint; or

(b) if such an appointment has already been made and the Ombudsman is not satisfied with the person appointed, that—

(i) the Chief Constable shall, as soon as is reasonably practicable, select another police officer and notify the Ombudsman that he proposes to appoint that person; and

(ii) the appointment shall not be made unless the Ombudsman gives notice to the Chief Constable that he approves that person.

(4) The Ombudsman may supervise the investigation of any complaint under this section if he considers that it is desirable in the public interest for him to do so.

(5) Where the Ombudsman decides to supervise an investigation under this section he shall notify the Chief Constable to that effect.

(6) A member of a police force in Great Britain who is appointed to conduct an investigation under this section shall, for the purpose of conducting that investigation, have all the powers and privileges of a constable throughout Northern Ireland and the adjacent United Kingdom territorial waters; and subsection (3) of section 18 applies for the purposes of this subsection as it applies for the purposes of subsection (2) of that section.

(7) The Ombudsman may impose requirements as to the conduct of an investigation which the Ombudsman is supervising; and it shall be the duty of a police officer to comply with any requirement imposed on him by virtue of this subsection.

(8) At the end of an investigation under this section the police officer appointed to conduct the investigation shall submit a report on the investigation to the Ombudsman.