Section 3(3)(b)(ii) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Policing Board to monitor the performance of the PSNI in complying with the Human Rights Act 1998. In 2003, the Policing Board appointed Keir Starmer QC and Jane Gordon to advise it how to meet this statutory duty. The Policing Board monitors the PSNI’s compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 according to the standards set out in the Code of Ethics and the criteria set out in the Policing Board’s Human Rights Monitoring Framework devised by its Human Rights Advisors.
The Human Rights and Professional Standards Committee also facilitates the Policing Board’s statutory duty to monitor the human rights compliance of the PSNI. The Committee reviews complaints and disciplinary matters, civil cases and judicial review proceedings initiated against the PSNI. The Committee also monitors the PSNI’s use of force at all levels on an on-going basis. In discharging its monitoring role, the Committee continues to engage with the Police Ombudsman, the Human Rights Commission and other interested parties.