ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issue of independent investigation and adjudication of complaints against police, and the external oversight of police integrity management. The case for independent review is well established, based on the generally poor to dreadful record of in-house investigations, as well as the wider problem of perceptions of bias and an intrinsic conflict of interest in relation to internal processes. David Bayley formulated a first principle of modern police accountability as follows: “Police cannot be trusted to police themselves. Exclusive reliance on internal investigations and discipline is foolhardy. Civilian review is essential” (1991, p. iv).
