The first indications from an independent survey conducted last month into the public's attitudes to the Office of the Police Ombudsman have indicated a large increase in support for the organisation from the Protestant community.
The initial results of the survey, which was conducted during February and March by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, have been released by the Police Ombudsman's Office.
The results show that 70% of Protestants were confident that the Office would deal with complaints from all sections of the community in an impartial way - an increase of 19% compared to a survey carried out at the same time last year.
79% of Catholic people said they believed the Police Ombudsman's Office dealt with complaints impartially - an increase of 1% - but the survey also indicated some areas in which Catholic confidence had fallen slightly.
Overall, the survey suggests that general public's knowledge and confidence in the organisation is very high:
86% of those surveyed had heard of its existence, and a similar proportion also recognised that it is independent of the police. Both figures are unchanged from last year.
79% of people thought they would be treated fairly by the Office - an increase of 1%
78% believe the Office helps ensure the police do a good job - an increase of 6%.
74% were confident that the Office deals with complaints from all communities impartially (22% were not confident).
64% of respondents believed the Office treats police officers and complainants equally - an increase of 3%.
The survey indicates that the biggest shift in perception was amongst Protestant people:
81% of Protestants felt they would be treated fairly should they ever make a complaint to the office - an increase of 6%
73% of Protestant people surveyed believed the Office helps ensure the police do a good job - an increase of 8%
70% of Protestants were confident that the Office deals with complaints from both communities in an impartial way - an increase of 19%
64% of Protestants believed the Office treats a police officer and the person making a complaint equally - an increase of 8%
The survey also indicated that support for the Office has remained consistently high amongst the Catholic community, although some figures are slightly down on last year.
85% of Catholic people surveyed believe the Office would help to ensure that police do a good job - an increase of 2%
79% of Catholic people were confident the Office deals with complaints in an impartial way - an increase of 1%
78% of Catholics felt that they would be treated fairly in they made a complaint to the Office - a drop of 5%
65% of Catholics felt that the Office would deals with the police officer and the complainant equally - a drop of 5%
The Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan has said the province wide survey bears out the experiences of her Office:
"I am aware that we get complaints from both sides of the community in equal measure. Nevertheless I am glad to see that there also seems to be a growing acceptance throughout Northern Ireland that my Office is both independent and impartial," she said.
More than 1,200 people were questioned in the survey, which was conducted between 3 February and 7 March 2003. Full details of the survey findings are due to be released later in the year.
ENDS