VPRS 13960 Complaint Files (Police)

Full description

The position of Deputy Ombudsman (Police Complaints) was established in May 1988 and assumed the functions of the disbanded Police Complaints Authority (VA 2834). The functions included:
- receipt and investigation of complaints made against members of the Police force as well as the Chief Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner,
- oversight and monitoring of internal investigations, and
- limited actual investigation.

Victoria Police (VA 724) handled the majority of complaints made against them under the Police Regulation Act 1958 internally through its Ethical Standards Department (ESD). The Police Complaints Authority had conducted audits of particular types of complaints. The Deputy Ombudsman by comparison reviewed every internal investigations conducted by the ESD.

The findings from ESD investigations were written up in a report. A copy of that report was sent to the complainant and to the Deputy Ombudsman for review. The reviews occurred prior to a final decision being made on the conclusions drawn by the investigation and before the complainant and police members complained of were advised of any decision. The case was closed if the Deputy Ombudsman was satisfied with the report. The complaint however was investigated further if either the Deputy Ombudsman or the complainant expressed dissatisfaction with the final report produced by the ESD.

Other scenarios where a complaint may have been investigated by the Deputy Ombudsman included situations when the complaint was received directly by the Deputy Ombudsman from the public or referred from police and investigated by the Deputy Ombudsman from the outset. Another instance was when the Deputy Ombudsman took over an investigation from the police.

This series consists of files that documented cases where the Deputy Ombudsman played an active role in investigating a complaint. The cases that were reviewed by the ESD and consequently found satisfactory by the Deputy Ombudsman were culled from this series as they are a duplicate copy of the permanent record maintained by the ESD of Victoria Police.

The Office of Police Integrity (VA 4792) was established in 2004 and took over the functions that the Deputy Ombudsman (Police Complaints) performed.