[…]

20

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a list of all the recommendations in this report:

Human Rights

1. 1. There should be a comprehensive programme of action to focus policing in Northern Ireland on a human rights-based approach. [para. 4.6]

2. 2. There should be a new oath, taken individually by all new and existing police officers, expressing an explicit commitment to upholding human rights. The text might be as follows – ‘I hereby do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the offi ce of constable, and that in so doing I will act with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all individuals and to their traditions and beliefs’. [para. 4.7]

3. 3. A new Code of Ethics should replace the existing, largely procedural code, integrating the European Convention on Human Rights into police practice. Codes of practice on all aspects of policing, including covert law enforcement techniques, should be strictly in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. [para. 4.8]

4. 4. All police officers, and police civilians, should be trained (and updated as required) in the fundamental principles and standards of human rights and the practical implications for policing. The human rights dimension should be integrated into every module of police training. [para. 4.9]

5. 5. Awareness of human rights issues and respect for human rights in the performance of duty should be an important element in the appraisal of individuals in the police service. [para. 4.10]

6. 6. A lawyer with specific expertise in the field of human rights should be appointed to the staff of the police legal services. [para. 4.11]

7. 7. The performance of the police service as a whole in respect of human rights, as in other respects, should be monitored closely by the Policing Board. [para. 4.12]

Accountability

1. An entirely new Policing Board should be created, to replace the present Police Authority. [para. 6.2]

2. The statutory primary function of the Policing Board should be to hold the Chief Constable and the police service publicly to account. [para. 6.3]