Page 34 - The police annual report 2016 annual report 2016

As the steering, governing and supervising unit, the National Police Board is responsible for the proper arrangement of legality control in the entire country. The duties of the Nation- al Police Board's legality control are to develop legality control, carry out legality inspections in police units, carry out impromptu super- vision, resolve complaints, act as the govern- ment representative in trials, obtain reports and issue statements to the highest judicial authorities regarding complaints lodged with them, and issue statements to the European Court of Human Rights regarding complaints lodged with the court.
In connection with the administrative reorgan- isation of the police, legal units were estab- lished at all police departments, answering directly to the Police Chief. Besides having responsibility for the various legal issues of the police units and providing legal support to the leadership, the legal units are also tasked with legality control and legality inspections.
The establishment of the legal units has had an impact on the arrangement of legality control carried out at the police administration, and also on the role of the National Police Board in the steering and coordination of the legality control of the police.
The National Police Board has carried out legality inspections in the units in accordance with the speci c instructions on the legali-
ty control of the police. The legality control performed by the National Police Board and its subordinate police units in 2016 was based on con rmed unit-speci c legality control plans. According to these plans, control measures targeted the use of covert intelligence gath- ering practices, policing that interfered with
an individual's basic rights, as well as registry supervision.
In 2016, the National Police Board performed legality inspections at all police departments. The inspections focused on:
• organisation of legality control in a police unit and the relevant roles and responsi- bilities;
• use and supervision of covert intelligence gathering practices;
• control arrangements regarding the use of registers by police of cers, incl. the EPRI register;
• use and supervision of decisions under the Coercive Measures Act;
• legal rights of detainees;
• pre-trial investigation decisions; and
• the Victims Directive and assessment of
the injured party.
One starting point for the development of the National Police Board's legality control pro- cesses has been the further reinforcement of the subsidiary principle in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act in the different areas of legality control, particularly in the handling of complaints.
34 THE POLICE, ANNUAL REPORT 2016