ABSTRACT
Complaints can be received and registered by the police as a result of written or verbal reports to police, referral by the Ombudsman, legal action taken against a member, or public comment (e.g., in the media). Police o•cers who receive a complaint against police are required to record and report that complaint; all complaints against police are required to be recorded electronically on their internal system, PROMIS (Police Real-Time Online Management Information System), regardless of how they are received. However, there was an acknowledgement that many operational police do not record minor matters because to do so would be very time consuming:
e Ombudsman’s O•ce also noted this same problem, although it acknowledged that only a minority of complaints were not being handled pursuant to the provisions of the Ombudsman Act. It was also noted that there is sometimes an inconsistency in how complaints are dealt with in some regional areas, since procedures rely on the o•cer in charge of that station or area. e Ombudsman’s O•ce noted that, in many instances, telephone complaints are addressed by the senior o•cer on duty and recorded only in the Community Care Information System rather than in PROMIS. is means that the information is not referred to the Ombudsman, which is a breach of the legislation.
