Impartiality is explicitly mentioned within the Code as an issue which is
required to be dealt with. For example, any doubts raised by mechanisms
which permit ‘police to investigate police’ must be addressed. To obtain
public confidence the Code asserts that systems must not just be impartial,
they must be seen to be impartial through the operation of such mechanisms
as;
x
x
x
x
x
x
accountability based on communication and mutual understanding
between the public and the police;
mediation or complaints structures that provide contact, negotiation
and informal dispute resolution;
transparency and public monitoring of police cells;
adoption of national codes of ethics based on the principles set out in
the Code;
ethical codes overseen by bodies independent from the police, such as
ombudsmen; and,
possibility of referral of complaints to a court of law.
Ten years after the adoption of the Code the principles set out in 2011 by the
EPAC handbook17 clarified what constituted effective police oversight. The
handbook recognised the origin of the principles identified within it as being
built upon existing good practice from police oversight bodies already
established in some European states; judgments from the European Court of
Human Rights; and, thinking from the Council of Europe Commissioner on
Human Rights.
The handbook defines the overriding aim of police oversight as promoting;
x the highest standards in policing;
x respect for the rule of law and human rights in all policing activities;
x greater public confidence in policing;
x proper systems of accountability for police officers and other law
enforcement officials;
x effective redress for those who are victims of police misconduct;
x greater openness and understanding of policing by citizens;
x systems to ensure that lessons are learnt from incidents and errors;
and,
x greater respect for the law, policing and as a consequence reductions
in criminality and disorder.
A set of key principles is identified, in support of other underpinning
propositions, as to the operation of a police complaints/oversight body; the
complaints system itself; and effective investigation.
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