Samoa's police professional standards unit will no longer handle complaints from the public against the performance of police duties but will work together with the office of the Ombudsman.
The partnership between the Police and Ombudsmans office relating to the investigation of public complaints against the officers has already been passed by Parliament through an amendment of the Police Act in 2009.
The assistant police commissioner, Leaupepe Fatu Pula, says a memorandum of understanding was signed this week between the Ombudsman office and the ministry of police to finally put the new partnership into action.
Leaupepe says this will resurrect the trust of the public in the role of the police but will also open the door for the Ombudsman to scrutinize and investigate any officer involved in public complaints