Brian Doherty nominated as Deputy Police Ombudsman

Today (Tuesday, 24 June 2025) Fiosrú, Office of Police Ombudsman welcomes the nomination of Brian Doherty as Deputy Police Ombudsman. 

Mr Doherty was nominated for the role of Deputy Police Ombudsman following an open competition, undertaken by the Public Appointments Service. The government has today approved the nomination (24 June 2025). The nomination process will continue with resolutions through the Houses of the Oireachtas after which Mr Doherty will be appointed by President Michael D. Higgins in the coming months. 

Police Ombudsman Emily Logan, Chief Executive Officer Sheila McClelland, along with Fiosrú staff, warmly welcome Brian to Fiosrú and look forward to working with him.
Commenting today, Emily Logan said: “I congratulate Brian on his nomination to the role of Deputy Police Ombudsman. Brian brings a wealth of experience to Fiosrú, in particular his years of experience in policing oversight and latterly as CEO of the LSRA, from which the organisation will greatly benefit.

Sheila McClelland, our senior leadership team and myself offer Brian many congratulations on his nomination and look forward to working welcoming him to Fiosrú.”

Notes:

Brian Doherty was the Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA). 

A former barrister, Brian was called to the Bar in Northern Ireland in 1996 and initially practised in Belfast.

He joined the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) when it was set up in 2000 as one of the first civilian investigators, working on allegations of misconduct against the then Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), later the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

In 2007, he moved to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) as a Senior Investigating Officer, later progressing to Acting Deputy Director of Investigations. He returned to PONI in 2014 to run the Current Investigations Directorate.

Brian took up post as the CEO of the LSRA in September 2017.

Brian holds a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice Management from Queens University Belfast and a Doctorate in Criminology from the University of Portsmouth.