Ministry of Defence Police: Complaints

(asked on 24th May 2018) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Service Complaints Ombudsman on her capacity to discharge an effective and independent oversight role of the service police; and what the outcome of such discussions was.


Answered by
Tobias Ellwood Portrait
Tobias Ellwood
This question was answered on 4th June 2018

A Service complaint can be made in respect of any matter relating to a Service person's service in the Armed Forces, where the complaint is made within three months of the event and the subject is not an Excluded Matter as set out in regulations made under section 340A of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

The role of the Service Complaints Ombudsman is to review the process under which complaints have been handled and decisions reached. In many cases, complaints are resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant without recourse to the Ombudsman's office.

The investigations are overseen by the Service Complaints Ombudsman but usually are carried out by one of her trained investigators. All the Ombudsman's investigators receive professional, accredited training in investigating complaints and complaints handling.

The Independent Office of Police Complaints does not currently have the international jurisdiction required to provide oversight of the Service Police. Ministers and officials in the Ministry of Defence have regular discussions with the Service Complaints Ombudsman on all aspects of her current role. These discussions are ongoing.

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