After receiving an official complaint/report of an alleged offence, the Norwegian Bureau will give the complainant a written confirmation that the report has been received.
The case is then sent to the responsible investigative division. The investigative division will first evaluate whether there are grounds to responsible investigate into the case. As part of this evaluation, the investigating officer/team will normally obtain copies of any documentation from the police relating to the same incident, e.g. the police district’s case against the complainant, court judgments, etc. The Norwegian Bureau will also often request more detailed information from the person bringing the allegations.
In cases where it is decided to implement an investigation, notification of this will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the alleged perpetrator’s/suspect’s employer.
In cases where it is decided not to investigate or in cases where the investigation is complete, the head of the investigative division responsible shall report to the Director of the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs with the investigator’s/investigating team’s recommendation.
The Director of the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs is responsible for taking the final decision in all cases. When the Director of Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs has reached a decision, the respective parties in the cases will be notified.
The head of the investigative division and the Director of the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs can delegate responsibility to others in the Norwegian Bureau.
The Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs deals with many types of cases simultaneously. It often takes time, therefore, to reach a decision. The average time for processing a case in 2010 was 177 days (6 months).
Decisions reached by the Director of the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs can be appealed against by way of a complaint to the Director of Public Prosecutions, cf. The Criminal Procedure Act § 59a. The time limit for lodging a complaint is three weeks from the date upon which notice of he decision was received by the complainant, cf. The Criminal Procedure Act § 59a third paragraph. Complaints shall be submitted via the Norwegian Bureau.
If the Director of Public Prosecutions upholds a decision to dismiss a case, the aggrieved party may institute a private prosecution through the courts pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Act § 402. Proceedings pursuant to § 402 must be brought within time limits pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Act § 403. The time limit is generally 6 months after the person entitled to prosecute has acquired knowledge of the criminal act and who has committed it, and no later than 1 month after receiving notification.
Regulations for the handling of cases in the Norwegian Bureau are given the Instruction for prosecution, chapter 34.