CAJ lobbies for changes in policing legislation to promote the protection of human rights, monitors the work of the Police Service, and responds to consultations on the human rights implications of new policing policies. CAJ evaluates implementation of the Patten Commission recommendations and the work of the various policing institutions and also policing change on the ground. For more information on how CAJ is carrying out this monitoring work, see the policing section entitled "news".

There have been a lot of developments in the policing arena since the Belfast Agreement of 1998. An Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, better known as the Patten Commission, was established in 1998. The Patten Commission made 175 recommendations for change related to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (now the Police Service of Northern Ireland) as well as policing generally. The Patten Commission report can be located at www.belfast.org.uk.

The Patten Commission called for the creation of the following institutions:

1. The Northern Ireland Policing Board, to replace the Police Authority for Northern Ireland. The Policing Board is tasked with holding the Police Service publicly to account. The Policing Board's website is located at www.nipolicingboard.org.uk.

2. The District Policing Partnerships, which are designed to provide policing accountability at the local level, can be located at www.districtpolicing.com.

3. The Office of the Oversight Commissioner, which is a temporary institution with responsibility for monitoring implementation of the recommendations of the Patten Commission. The Office of the Oversight Commissioner can be located at www.oversightcommissioner.org.

4. As a result of the Patten Commission, the name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was changed to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Information on that institution can be located at www.psni.police.uk.

The Committee on the Administration of Justice has been working on policing in Northern Ireland since its inception in 1981. The following is a brief synopsis of CAJ's work on policing and human rights:

1981	CAJ founded after conference at Queens on civil liberties
1982	Publication "Complaints Against the Police" - police complaints' systems became a routine topic of concern with subsequent publications in 1983, 1990, 1991,1993, advocating an independent complaints system. This culminated in active work pre-and post the Hayes report setting up a Police Ombudsman.
1985	Publication "Consultation between the police and the public"
1988	Publication "Police Accountability in NI." This topic was also regularly re-visited with work on lay visiting to police stations (1990) and responses to various consultation documents (1994 NIO document on "Policing in the Community", submissions to the Police Authority in 1995, and legislative proposals in 1995 and 1998).
1990	Publication on "Plastic Bullets and the Law" (which updated an earlier 1985 report, and was then complemented by a 1998 report)
1996	Publication entitled "Misrule of Law (493kb)" on the policing of public order disturbances in 1996. Subsequent publications and shorter submissions were produced in 1997: Policing the Police: A Report on the Policing of Events During the Summer of 1997 in NI 1998: Plastic bullets briefing paper Public Order Policing 1998 - A report on the policing of events during the summer of 1998 compiled from observer reports and eyewitness statements and 2001 Some CAJ reflections, Policing and Public Order in Northern Ireland 1996-2000 (167kb) as well as a number of documents relevant to the Parades Commission
PATTEN- COMMISSION	1997: Major report "Human Rights on Duty: Principles for better policing - international lessons for Northern Ireland"; 1998: submission to Patten (94kb); organised Council of Europe visit to Belfast; facilitated follow up visit by Patten team to Strasbourg 1999: CAJ holds pre-Patten report conference (see conference proceedings) (February); submission to US Congress (April); CAJ holds post-Patten report conference (November) (see conference proceedings - 253kb); Commentary to NIO on Patten report (126kb) (November) 2000: Extensive lobbying around Policing (NI) Act
2001	Organised Council of Europe seminar for Oversight Commissioner team; produced Benchmarks for Oversight Commissioner (April); spoke on panel at Policing and Human Rights conference (October); commented on draft police Code of Ethics (November).
2002	Produced the following documents: "Commentary on the Code of Practice on the Functions and Responsibilities of District Policing Partnerships (63kb)" (May); "Submission to the Review of the Parades Commission (66kb)" (May); "Commentary on the NIO Code of Practice on Reports and Inquiries under Sections 59 and 60 (61kb)" (June); and "Comments and Suggested Amendments to the Police (NI) Bill (24kb)" (December). Met and corresponded with the Police Ombudsman and the Independent Assessor of Military Complaints on plastic bullets and commented on several PSNI draft policy documents.
2003	Lobbied extensively around the Police Act 2003. Responded to the Quigley Review. Addressed the PSNI's conference on policing and young people. Commented on the Policing Board's Human Rights Monitoring Framework. Published a 50-page commentary assessing the work of the Policing Board (November).
2004 / 2005	see sections "news" and "developments in the last year"