BackWith what type of complaint about Local Police do citizens usually contact their Local Ombudsman? And how is this complementary to the existing internal procedures of the police for dealing with complaints?
Or is an ombudsman simply redundant in this process and do the police’s internal complaints officers already have the required expertise and networks for this? Can a citizen still see the forest for the trees and vice versa? And what about the relationship between the Local Police and the Local Ombudsman? Does a legal framework exist for this?
The publication of the Ombudswoman of the City of Ghent, Ms Rita Passemiers, attempts to answer these questions, based on her 18 years’ experience as an ombudsman. Now and again she also refers to the experiences of her local colleagues in Antwerp, Bruges, Mechelen, Ixelles, Charleroi and Courcelles.
Source: Ombudswoman of the City of Ghent, Belgium
