Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has written to Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman, Jacqui Durkin, seeking explicit reassurances about the impartiality of her office following remarks she made during an interview on the Nolan Show.

In his letter, Mr Burrows — a former Head of Discipline Branch within the PSNI — congratulated Ms Durkin on her appointment and welcomed her stated plan to prioritise investigations into officers who abuse their position for sexual purposes. He also set out ongoing concerns about the guidance investigators receive at the outset of a complaint and the approach taken to initial assessments.

Jon Burrows said: "Anyone who comes forward with an allegation of sexual abuse or exploitation by a police officer must be treated with compassion, support and empathy, and must know their complaint will be investigated thoroughly. That is fundamental to public confidence. "But treating an allegation seriously is not the same thing as accepting it as fact before a single piece of evidence has been gathered. The logical extension of a presumption of belief is a presumption of guilt against the officer concerned, and that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Ombudsman's role as an impartial investigator.

"This is not only about fairness to officers. If investigators do not rigorously test all the available evidence, they will fail to establish the truth, and that failure harms genuine victims seeking justice just as much as it harms the wrongly accused.

"I have sought clear reassurance that the Ombudsman's office remains committed to rigorous impartiality, and that investigators are being directed to approach every complaint with an open mind and a determination to establish the truth."

Mr Burrows has also requested a meeting to discuss wider issues within the Office of the Police Ombudsman, including the speed of investigations, entrenched delays, accountability structures, and reforms he believes are necessary.