37.—(1) The Director General or, as the case may be, Ombudsman, may attend a misconduct hearing to make representations in any case where—
(a)the complaint has been investigated under paragraphs 18 or 19 of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act or sections 54(2), (3)(a) or 55(3), (5) or (6) of the 1998 Act, or
(b)the complaint has been investigated under paragraph 16 of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act or section 57 of the 1998 Act, and—
(i)the Director General—
(aa)made a recommendation under paragraph 25(4C)(c) of that Schedule (duties with respect to disciplinary proceedings) in respect of any MDP officer which the relevant authority accepted, or
(bb)gave a direction under paragraph 27(4)(a) of that Schedule (duties with respect to disciplinary proceedings), or
(ii)the Ombudsman made a recommendation under section 59(2) of the 1998 Act which the chief constable accepted.
(2) Where the Director General or Ombudsman so attends the misconduct proceedings—
(a)if it is a misconduct hearing the Director General or Ombudsman may be represented by a relevant lawyer,
(b)the Director General or Ombudsman must notify the complainant or any interested person prior to those proceedings, and
(c)the person conducting or chairing the misconduct proceedings must notify the officer concerned prior to those proceedings.
(3) The investigator or a nominated person must attend the misconduct proceedings on the request of the person conducting or chairing those proceedings to answer questions.
(4) For the purposes of this regulation, a “nominated person” is a person who, in the opinion of—
(a)the relevant authority,
(b)in a case investigated under where paragraph 18 or 19 of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act under external procedures the Director General directed the investigation or carried out the investigation, the Director General, or
(c)in a case where under external procedures established for Northern Ireland, the Ombudsman investigated the case, or supervised the investigation, the Ombudsman,
has sufficient knowledge of the investigation of the case to be able to assist the person conducting or chairing the misconduct proceedings.
(5) Where more than one allegation is considered in the same misconduct proceedings in accordance with regulation 3(9), this regulation applies to the whole of the proceedings and accordingly the Director General or the Ombudsman, as the case may be, may make representations in respect of any allegation.
(6) Paragraph (1) does not apply—
(a)to the Director General where the Director General has decided under regulation 24(1) to present the case, or
(b)to the Ombudsman where the Ombudsman is required under regulation 24(6) to present the case.
Commencement Information
I1Sch. 1 para. 37 in force at 2.11.2020, see reg. 1