New Police Ombudsman will be on a salary £24,000 higher than Marie Anderson as competition to replace her begins
The next Police Ombudsman will be on a salary that is 16% higher than the current post-holder, with applications for the post now open.
The Executive Office announced today that the contest to replace Marie Anderson has been launched, with the deadline to apply being noon on Friday, November 28.
Ms Anderson had said in June that she was planning to retire in December.
She has been in post since July 2019.
Her tenure has been marked by a police investigation into her own conduct in relation to what police describe as a “domestic incident” in September 2023.
In October it was announced that, after a more than two-year investigation into the affair, the PPS had decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute her for either misconduct in public office or attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Ahead of that decision, Ms Anderson had taken a leave of absence from June 17 because "commentary is detracting" from her work, returning on October 22 (her salary continued to be paid throughout).
A previous leave of absence had lasted from at least June 2024 to January 2025 and was due to illness, the Ombudsman’s office had said.
The salary for the new ombudsman will be £173,854 per annum.
Annual reports from the Police Ombudsman’s office show the current post-holder gets between £145,000 and £150,000 per annum.
The appointment lasts for seven years, or until the post-holder turns 70 – whichever comes first.
The post-holder will be chosen by Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly jointly.
It is anticipated that assessments will be held both online and in person in Belfast in December 2025/January 2026.
The Executive Office said: “The role of the ombudsman is to provide an independent and impartial police complaints service in which both the public and the police have confidence.
"They also work closely with the public, police, the institutions of the local administration, including the NI Policing Board, the Public Prosecution Service, solicitors and various advocacy organisations, as well as with the media.”
Applicants should visit www.nicsrecruitment.org.uk .