Independent Police Conduct Authority
The Independent Police Conduct Authority is an independent body that considers complaints against the New Zealand Police and oversees their conduct. It derives its responsibility from the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988. Under section 12 of the Act, "the Authority’s functions are to: receive complaints alleging misconduct or neglect of duty by any member of Police or concerning any Police practice, policy or procedure affecting a complainant; and to investigate incidents in which a member of Police (acting in the execution of his or her duty) causes or appears to have caused death or serious bodily harm." Most of the Authority's investigators are former police officers, which creates concerns about the IPCA's independence and effectiveness.
The Authority also monitors conditions of detention and treatment of detainees in Police custody. In this respect, the IPCA is one of several ‘national preventive mechanisms’ designated in 2007 under an amendment to the Crimes of Torture Act 1989. Other agencies with responsibility for monitoring places of detention include the Human Rights Commission, the Children’s Commissioner and the Ombudsmen. Together, these agencies including the IPCA, have joint responsibility to uphold New Zealand's commitment to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment (OPCAT).
Read more about Independent Police Conduct Authority: History, Membership, Complaints Process, Independence and Effectiveness, Significant IPCA Reports
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