Justice Minister welcomes appointment of new Police Ombudsman
Date published:
Justice Minister Naomi Long has welcomed the appointment of Jacqui Durkin as Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) and thanked her for her six-and-a-half-year tenure as Chief Inspector of the Criminal Justice Inspection for Northern Ireland (CJINI).
In her new role as Police Ombudsman, she replaces Marie Anderson, who retired in December 2025.
Minister Long said:
“I would like to extend my best wishes to Jacqui in her new position as Police Ombudsman and place on record my sincere thanks for the leadership and expertise that she demonstrated during her tenure as Chief Inspector.
“Jacqui brings a wealth of experience to the role of Police Ombudsman and I wish her every success during her tenure.”
Minister Long continued:
“The Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland plays a crucial role in fostering improvements throughout the justice sector.
“The inspection programme overseen by the Chief Inspector enables us to develop a more effective and efficient criminal justice system for the people of Northern Ireland and Jacqui will bring a track record of leadership and achievement to her new role.”
Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland is an independent public body established under the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.
An announcement about Ms Durkin’s replacement will be made in due course.
Notes to editors:
- Media queries should be directed to Press Office via Email or phone 028 9052 6444.
- To keep up to date with news from the Department follow us on: LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Youtube, Justice NI (@Justice_NI)
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800 hrs and 0800 hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110