About the Police Complaints Authority
The Police Complaints Authority is an independent authority that handles conduct complaint cases and investigates criminal cases involving police and prosecution service personnel.
The Police Complaints Authority has the jurisdiction to handle conduct complaint cases and to investigate criminal cases concerning the following groups of personnel
- police personnel,
- prosecutors,
- other police and prosecution service personnel who perform police tasks or tasks related to law enforcement or criminal prosecution,
- defence personnel when providing assistance to the police.
In addition, the Police Complaints Authority initiates investigations when a person has died or been seriously injured as a result of police intervention or while in police custody.
The Police Complaints Authority is independent of both the police and the prosecution service. We strive to ensure fair case processing for all involved and work neither in the service of the citizen nor the police, but in the service of truth. This means that neither the citizen nor the police are prioritised over the other in the investigation and decision of a case.
Organisation
Organisation chart
The Police Complaints Authority is governed by the Police Complaints Council and a Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Storgaard.
The Police Complaints Council is the supreme governing body of the authority, and the day-to-day management is performed by the chief executive officer.
The other staff of the Police Complaints Authority consists of approximately 40 employees, including lawyers, investigators, office administrators, student assistants and others. The Police Complaints Authority shares a building with The Independent Evidence Oversight Board (Bevismiddeltilsynet). The two authorities have their own specialised areas of expertise and work and share the same management.
Management
Members of the Police Complaints Council
- Thomas Tordal-Mortensen, Chairman of the Council, High Court Judge
- Asger Bagge-Jørgensen, Attorney-at-law
- Pernille Christensen, Head of Department, KL – Local Government Denmark
- Birgit Feldtmann, Professor, Aalborg University
- Ejnar Bo Pedersen, Head of Secretariat, Danish Youth School Association
- Tom Engly, Senior Cybersecurity and Crisis Management advisor, Tryg Forsikring A/S
Chief Executive Officer – Charlotte Storgaard
Head of Legal – Claes Vestergaard
Head of Investigation – Niels Raasted
Head of Office – Allan Knudsen
Legal basis
The provisions on the police complaints system are stipulated by Act no. 404 of 21 April 2010, which became effective on 1 January 2012, and Act no. 1172 of 8 June 2021, which became effective on 1 July 2021 and 1 January 2022.
Read Report no. 1507 on the processing of complaints against the police
Act on the rules of procedure for the Police Complaints Council
International cooperation
The Police Complaints Authority cooperates with a number of foreign authorities which, like the Police Complaints Authority, handle complaints and reports against employees of the police and the prosecution service.
Foreign authorities etc. – also outside Europe – regularly show interest in the Danish police complaints system, and in this connection, the Police Complaints Authority regularly participates in conferences or gives presentations in order to provide information about the Danish police complaints system.
The Police Complaints Authority is part of various international networks. These are for example:
- European Partners Against Corruption (EPAC/EACN)
In 2012, the Police Complaints Authority was admitted as a member of EPAC, which is a European cooperation between more than 60 anti-corruption authorities and police complaints authorities from, among others, EU member states. The cooperation is informal and aims, through the establishment of an international network of relevant authorities, to exchange experiences and identify opportunities as well as develop common strategies and professional standards for the fight against corruption. - Independent Police Complaints Authorities (IPCAN)
The Police Complaints Authority participates in the IPCAN network, where several police complaints authorities meet at the French Ombudsman institution in Paris – Le Défenseur des Droits. The purpose of this is to strengthen the cooperation between primarily the European police complaints authorities and to exchange experiences and disseminate best practices in the area. - Nordic cooperation
The Police Complaints Authority is part of a network of similar authorities from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. The network aims to strengthen the cooperation between the Nordic police complaints systems with a view to exchanging experiences, among other things.
