Principle 3: Effective Investigation monitoring of investigative processes” under the supervision of the Counsel to the Elections Commissioner.340 As they are role models for investigators and support staff, senior officials and supervisors should demonstrate compliance with applicable electoral laws and regulations, internal policies, codes of conduct, and standards for investigation.341 Accountability Accountability mechanisms that include internal and external checks on the investigative process should be developed to help ensure that the investigative body and its individual investigators carry out their duties appropriately, free from conflicts of interest, in line with ethical and professional standards, and that they are held responsible for failing to fulfill their mandates. In support of this objective, states should establish and implement normative and procedural safeguards to promote accountability in the investigation process, with the twin goals of preventing investigators from misusing their powers and addressing such conduct when necessary.342 All activities should be open to review by internal mechanisms and to monitoring by a variety of external oversight institutions.343 Because investigators act on the basis of directives and guidelines, accountability includes responsibility for the direction and control exercised before and during operations.344 As such, extending the principles set out in the United Nations’ Handbook on Police Accountability, effective accountability for electoral investigations could involve: › Direction Setting: Prior to operations, an investigative body and other relevant agencies set priorities and policies that accurately reflect electoral laws and regulations, providing practical guidance for investigators on how to properly carry out investigations while remaining responsive to the concerns of citizens, political parties, and other interested stakeholders. Direction setting also involves establishing effective complaints procedures for misconduct or malpractice. 340 Canadian Investigators’ Manual Ch. 5, supra note 85, at 2. 341 See OSCE Guidebook for Democratic Policing, supra note 336, ¶ 118. 342 See generally, e.g., U.N. Office of Drugs & Crime, Handbook on Police Accountability, Oversight, and Integrity (2011), http://www.unodc.‌‌org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/PoliceAccountability_Oversight_and_Integrity_10-57991_Ebook.pdf [hereinafter U.N. Handbook on Police Accountability, Oversight, and Integrity]. 343 Cf. OSCE Guidebook for Democratic Policing, supra note 336, ¶ 83. 344 U.N. Handbook on Police Accountability, Oversight, and Integrity, supra note 343, at 10–11. 105