24 Estonia The Chancellor of Justice is competent to deal with complaints against the police. The Chancellor is appointed by Parliament (Riigikogu) on the proposal of the President of with police misconduct and investigates criminal cases against police officers. IPCA is independent of both police and prosecutors. It is headed by the Police Complaints Council and the Chief Executive. The Council is the governing body of the Authority. Council members are appointed by the Minister of Justice for four years at a time and are eligible for re-appointment once. Day to day operations are managed in accordance with the directions and guidelines issued by the Council. IPCA employs several investigators as well as legal and administrative staff. Complaints may be made directly to the IPCA, by telephone, in person, by letter or email. The Chancellor’s role is a general one that includes oversight of police as public officials. The Police Complaints Authority also considers and decides upon complaints of police misconduct. investigate criminal offences committed by police officers on duty and incidents where persons have died or been seriously injured as a consequence of police intervention or while in police custody. The Chancellor combines the function of the general body of petition and the guardian of constitutionality. The Chancellor may reject a petition if it is made When investigations are complete, criminal cases are forwarded to the relevant regional prosecutor for a prosecution decision. In the event of a ‘no prosecution’ decision the complainant or the IPCA may appeal to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigations into non-criminal complaints are undertaken by the IPCA but may be referred to the police for informal resolution with the complainant’s agreement. Decisions of the IPCA in noncriminal cases are final and cannot be appealed. Complaints about misconduct reported directly to the police may be dealt with by a senior police officer using informal resolution but only with the consent of the complainant. matter is a criminal offence, in which case no limit applies. The Chancellor of Justice is established by the Constitution. It is not part of the legislative, executive or judicial powers, nor is it a political or a law enforcement on 21 April 2010. The law entered into force on 1 January 2012.

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