With Act no.13 of 5 March 2004, the Norwegian parliament (Stortinget) created a central national unit with responsibility for investigating cases that involve the question of whether a person serving in the police or prosecuting authorities has committed a criminal offence in the service. The Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs became active on 1 January 2005.

The Norwegian Bureau is not part of the police force or the ordinary prosecuting authority. The Norwegian Bureau is an independent body that falls administratively under the Ministry of Justice and professionally under the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The DPP can instruct the Norwegian Bureau to initiate or terminate an investigation. The DPP also deals with complaints about decisions reached by the Norwegian Bureau.

The Norwegian Bureau is headed by the Director of the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs. Investigations are implemented by 3 regional investigative divisions, which make recommendations (proposals) to the Director about whether or not a case should be considered for prosecution.

The Norwegian Bureau comprises a permanent staff and lawyers on secondment.