Promoting the Idea of Establishing Independent Police Complaints Bodies in the CEE Region (2008-2009)

Partly as a result of the HHC’s advocacy efforts, a new body for examining complaints against the police, the Independent Police Complaints Board (IPCB) was established by a June 2007 amendment of the Police Act. The HHC has been monitoring the development of the IPCB’s case-law since the establishment of the new complaints body.

To assist with further developing the operations of the Hungarian IPCB and to promote setting up similar boards in the Central European region, the HHC organized an international conference on the first year of the Board’s operation. The event took place on 23-24 September2009, in the Houses of Parliament, and was attended by Hungarian stakeholders and international guests from Great-Britain,Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, the CzechRepublic and Poland.

The HHC also published a study on the first 18 months of the IPCB, titled “Másfél év mérlegen: A Független Rendészeti Panasztestület gyakorlatának elemzése”. The study examines the types of right violations and the IPCB’s related practices, questions about the Board’s authority, rules of procedure, and data protection and freedom of information issues as far as the IPCB’s practices are concerned.

Supported by: Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe