[26/05/08 08:30] In a democratic society the police must be accountable and open to public scrutiny. Complaints about ill-treatment and misconduct by the police must be investigated effectively and in a transparent manner to ensure that the police enjoy the confidence of the public.
Based on this observation, the Commissioner's Office is organising an expert workshop on police complaints on 26 and 27 May, in Strasbourg. Participants will include representatives of complaints mechanisms, the police, the prosecutor, government authorities, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as academic experts.
Currently, there is a variety of different mechanisms for investigating police complaints in the member states of the Council of Europe. A few countries have set up bodies operating separately from the police. Many countries entrust public prosecutors to lead and supervise investigations carried out by the police. Another model is to have teams with specialised prosecutors and police officers. Several European states are also in the process of reforming their current procedures.
The purpose of this workshop is to share experiences from the Council of Europe's member states models and procedures, to assess their independence, effectiveness and transparency and to discuss good practices and challenges regarding these different models.
As a follow-up to the workshop, the Commissioner will issue guidelines on the theme.
