Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations - Transitional ...

However public information/participation in DPPs is lacking. A questionnaire sent to
60,000 households (15,361 replied) 317 gave information on attitudes to crime and policing
in District Councils with breakdown by religion, age and gender. Asked if they had heard
of DPPs, 75% of males responded yes; 60% of females. Asked if they knew who the
members of their local DPP were 71% of both sexes said no (19% male said yes; 17%
female). Asked if they knew how to contact the DPP over 70% of respondents said no
(19% male said yes; 18% female said yes). Asked what the biggest problem in their area
was 5% of women and 3% of men cited domestic violence. The questionnaire sets out a
list of activities that the PSNI in the area should concentrate most resources on and asks
respondents to prioritise them – domestic violence is not included on the list.
9.10 The Oversight Commissioner
The Commissioner is male as are the team of seven experts. The office issues periodic
reports. The December 2004 318 report includes a section on the theme of community
policing:
We see little compelling evidence that the entire Police Service is assisting on focusing its complete
attention on supporting the Policing with the Community effort. Our conclusion is that there needs
to be a strategic renewal to refresh the initiative, regain organisational momentum, and build on the
tremendous amount of good work accomplished and ongoing.
9.11 Office of the Police Ombudsman
9.11.1 Complaints
Between April 2003 and March 2004, 2976 complaints, containing 4196 allegations, were
received (73% from men; 27% from women). 319 Complaints are broken down under a
number of headings but there is no division between men and women. For example,
oppressive behaviour accounted for 1571 (37.4%); sub categories under this heading are
sexual assault (8), oppressive conduct/harassment (487) but there is no gender breakdown
or equity monitoring. The low substantiation rate has been commented on. 320
9.11.2 Staffing
At 31 March 2004, the office had 122 staff: 59% male, 41% female; there is no information
as to level of seniority. On the senior management team the Police Ombudsman is female
as is the Director of Corporate Services; the remaining five members of the senior
management team are men. While ‘advertisements for positions which are underrepresented
by females now include a statement that applications are particularly welcome
from women’, there is nothing in the annual report about promotion or measures such as
affirmative action. 321
9.11.3 Police Ombudsman and the Carryduff Case
A child’s body, which had multiple stab wounds, was found in a black bin bag by children
in Carryduff in March 2002. As part of their efforts to trace the baby’s mother, detectives
launched a campaign to voluntarily screen females in the area between the ages of 13 and
45 for DNA, with an undertaking to destroy all samples that did not relate to the child’s
DNA profile. The Police Ombudsman’s Office was called in to oversee the destruction of
samples and the deletion of records and to reassure the women involved that such action
had been taken.
317 District Policing Partnership Survey 2004 , NIO Statistics and Research Agency
318 Report of the Oversight Commissioner, December 2004
319 Police Ombudsman’s Annual Report April 2003 – March 2004
320 CAJ Annual Report 2003-2004
321 Ibid.
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