Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the handling of police complaints.

The Government sees the effective handling of police complaints as critical to public trust in the police. On the 22 July, the Home Secretary launched an end to end review of the entire police complaints system, including the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the local role played by Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

The review looked at the complaints system from start to finish and for all complaints from the most minor to the most serious. Immediately following the review a public consultation on proposals for a reformed police complaints system was launched, which concluded on 5 February.

The proposals include giving a greater role to PCCs in the handling of complaints, ensuring the recording of all complaints, introducing the concept of super-complaints which is used in the financial sector and simplifying the terminology for complaint resolutions. The Government is also committed to providing Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the IPCC with the tools they need to provide necessary scrutiny of the police complaints system. The Home Secretary has announced that the IPCC would be expanded to enable it to take on all ‘serious and sensitive’ investigations involving the police.

The proposals would make the complaints system more independent of the police, easier for the public to follow, more focused on resolving complaints locally, and provide a simpler system of appeals.

The Government will formally respond shortly.