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The protection of human rights has always been at the core of policing. The introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998 in October 2000 served to formalise this in a way that had not before existed.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has developed programmes to ensure that all its officers and staff understand the principles of human rights and the obligations placed upon them.  This is reflected in the policies, planning and practice of the Service.

We regularly review external changes in the legal interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights as well as the internal needs of those whose task it is to uphold the law.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board is responsible for monitoring the performance of the Police Service in complying with the Human Rights Act 1998. The Board’s Human Rights Advisors have developed a monitoring framework for human rights, which allows the Board to measure the Police Service’s performance against human rights standards. For more information about the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s role visit their website.

Police Service Human Rights Programme of Action

The Police Service produces a Human Rights Programme of Action. This document sets out the main areas of work which we are currently undertaking or which we plan to commence.  It is grouped to show how our work links into the recommendations contained in the Policing Board’s Human Rights Report

Download the current Police Service Human Rights Programme of Action.

Contact Us

Human Rights Department
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Headquarters
65 Knock Road
Belfast
BT5 6LE


Email: [email protected]