An investigation of the interface between the office of the police ombudsman for Northern Ireland and local forensic physicians

The interface between forensic physicians and the police ombudsman of Northern Ireland is an area where there is little published research. In particular there has been no attempt to inquire into the role of forensic physicians in the procedures employed to investigate alleged police maltreatment of prisoners at the time of arrest or later in the custodial setting. A questionnaire was distributed to all forensic physicians in Northern Ireland to assess their level of engagement with the ombudsman's office and shed light on the attitudes of forensic physicians to the police ombudsman's handling of the complaints procedure. The results published represent the opinion of the majority of forensic physicians in Northern Ireland and show a broadly supportive attitude to the role of the police ombudsman in the investigation of alleged police officer misconduct. However, a majority of forensic physicians felt that their involvement in the investigative process was an under-used resource.