Examples: Action taken by the police in connection with investigation or prevention of a crime

These examples are OUTSIDE the Ombudsman's jurisdiction:

• A police officer carrying out a child protection investigation of alleged physical and sexual abuse asked a teenage girl questions about her sexual experience. The parents considered this inappropriate.
• A social worker mistakenly suspected a mother of having given her child an overdose of medication, and asked a police officer to call at the family home to find out whether this was true. The child was gravely ill, but under proper medical supervision. The mother was deeply distressed by the call. The actions of the police officer were OUT (although a complaint could have been made to the IPCC). An investigation was carried out into how the original misunderstanding on the part of social services had arisen, however.

Date Updated: 14/07/09