The Independent Police Complaints Commission [IPCC] has today published its Annual Report on police complaints, a copy of which I have attached.
This report highlights the workings of the police complaints system and the concerns the public have about the conduct of the police. It contains information about the complaints that the police have recorded; the outcome of the police’s handling of those complaints; and the outcome of appeals to the IPCC about the way complaints have been handled.
In 2011/12 the IPCC received 6,300 appeals about police handling of complaints an all time high with 38% upheld also a record figure. In Dorset 43 appeals were received and 18 of those were upheld with the percentage of those upheld at 42%.
For the second year, there has been a fall in the number of complaint cases recorded by police forces.
A total of 30,143 complaints were recorded during 2011/12. This is a 9% reduction compared to 2010/11 and a 12% decrease since 2009/10 and in Dorset compared to last year there were 363 complaint cases recorded which is a decrease of 11%.
Across England and Wales, there was also an increase in the number of appeals from complainants unhappy with the complaint investigations carried out by police – up two per cent to 4,539. The IPCC upheld 31 per cent of those appeals, up from about 22 per cent, which the IPCC suggests means that almost a third of police complaint investigations were deficient in some way.
The Police Federation has long held that complaints against police should be independently investigated. The IPCC does oversee some complaint investigations, but hasn’t the time come, in the interest of public confidence for all police complaints not just to be overseen by an independent body – but investigated by one?
Clive
Clive Chamberlain
Chairman
Dorset Police Federation
