Investigate Government & Police Complaints
We will try to resolve your complaint by gathering the facts, hearing both sides of the story, and making recommendations to address any unfair treatment or unreasonable decisions.
Talk to the O.
The Ombudsman is an impartial and independent office of Parliament that acts as the Cayman Islands’ guardian of fairness, transparency and accountability.
Government Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with a Government decision or feel you were not treated fairly and you have tried to resolve the matter through the government's internal complaint process unsuccessfully, you may make a complaint to our office.
Police Complaints
You may make a complaint about the conduct of a police officer at any police station or directly to us.
Freedom of Information
If the Government has refused to disclose records you requested, you may appeal the decision to us. We will hear your appeal and decide whether the records should be disclosed.
Whistleblowing
If you are concerned that your employer is acting improperly, you may disclose the improper conduct to us and you will be protected against any detrimental action taken by your employer in reprisal for your disclosure.
Data Protection
The Data Protection Act gives you control of your personal data, and protects you against its misuse in the public and private sectors.
Being investigated?
If we receive a complaint, disclosure or appeal, we will inform you as soon as possible. We will provide you with details about the issues and you will have an opportunity to provide a detailed response.
What we do
Information Rights
We will review your appeal and decide whether the information must be disclosed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. We will investigate your complaint about misuse of your personal data and decide whether a data controller is in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Whistleblowing
We will investigate your disclosure and decide whether it qualifies for protection under the Act. If you suffer a detrimental action we can make recommendations for compensation for any reprisal.
Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
Categories
List of suppliers to Immigration Detention Centre
Informal Resolution | 04 April 2019
Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration (HRI)
An applicant asked for a list of suppliers of goods or services to the Immigration Detention Centre, but was dissatisfied after receiving a record with all supplier names redacted as personal information. The Ministry asked the applicant to narrow the request but was not satisfied with their response, and claimed that complying with the request would be an unreasonable diversion of its resources.
The applicant asked for an explanation concerning the number of hours it would take to fulfill the request and described his willingness to wait, depending on the estimated time. However, HRI responded that the time could not be estimated and refused to comply with the request.
In the course of the ensuing appeal we asked HRI to consider a particular record for release which we felt would provide the applicant with the requested information. However, HRI disagreed and upheld their initial decision. We then reviewed the responsive records and expressed our views that complying with the request would not be an unreasonable diversion of resources, and encouraged HRI to review and apply any relevant redactions. Eventually the record was released to the applicant in a form that was satisfactory.