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External involvement in the investigation of complaints against the police is one of several mechanisms designed to keep police personnel in line and accountable. Analyzing 384 cases in Norway the results are similar to findings in other western democratic countries. Despite external involvement the rate of substantiation is still low. This suggests that the structure and nature of complaints, rather than organization, is decisive in explaining the rate of substantiation. Still, external involvement is essential for the legitimacy of the process, but experienced "insiders", former or current, are equally important for the quality of the investigation. Thus rather than replacing every member of the Special Investigatory Bodies with police background, one should focus on how to improve the investigation within the existing framework. The study reveals that several issues concerning the routines for handling the complaints need to be addressed and remedied.
Gunnar Thomassen (2002) studied this question.