Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Sixth Report - Police Conduct and Complaints
Home Affairs Committee
HC 140
Published 1 March 2022
Recommendations
7
Accepted
Para 62
Consider police complaints within the ongoing PCC model review and assess PCC involvement
Recommendation
We urge the Government to consider police complaints as part of the review of the PCC model currently under way and to make an early assessment of PCC involvement in the police complaints system.
Government Response Summary
The government's response focused entirely on the complaints and discipline system reforms it implemented in February 2020, including new statutory duties and IOPC powers. It did not address the recommendation to consider police complaints as part of the ongoing review of the PCC model or assess PCC involvement in the complaints system.
Home Office
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16
Accepted
Para 98
Some police forces demonstrate an absence of urgency and non-cooperation in investigations.
Recommendation
There is a clear absence of urgency and a culture of non-co-operation from some police forces involved in investigations. Appropriate sanctions must follow for any officer served with disciplinary proceedings, whether serving or retired. We welcome the legislation that exists …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it strengthened the complaints and discipline systems in February 2020, introducing integrity reforms, a statutory duty of cooperation, and new IOPC and legally qualified chair powers to address timeliness and sanctions for officers.
Home Office
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17
Accepted
The statutory and regulatory frameworks require full utilisation for fair officer sanctions.
Recommendation
The available statutory and regulatory frameworks must be used by forces and the IOPC to obtain fair, transparent and appropriate sanctions against officers. (Paragraph 98) The IOPC complaints system
Government Response Summary
The government states it strengthened the complaints and discipline systems in February 2020 with integrity reforms, introducing new statutory duties and powers for the IOPC and misconduct panels to ensure fair and appropriate sanctions.
Home Office
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20
Accepted
Para 116
Police forces require a culture of rapid, open response to conduct complaints.
Recommendation
A culture needs to be created within police forces—established by and led from the top—that requires rapid, open and non-defensive response to complaints about conduct, both to deal with misconduct where it arises and to clear the names and reputations …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the need for cultural change in policing and is addressing it through the Angiolini Inquiry, tasks given to the police inspectorate, and the College of Policing's Code of Ethics review, which will produce a Code of Practice for chief officers.
Home Office
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25
Accepted
Para 141
Ensure Home Office super-complaints website highlights designated body collaboration with non-designated groups.
Recommendation
We urge the Home Office to highlight, on its super-complaints’ website, that the 16 designated bodies should collaborate with non-designated bodies as appropriate to make a complaint on matters raised by non-designated bodies. Clarity of information is essential to ensure …
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Government Response Summary
The government commits to updating the police super-complaints website on gov.uk to explicitly state that designated bodies should collaborate with non-designated organisations and make complaints based on matters raised by them.
Home Office
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27
Accepted
Urge IOPC to proactively communicate and defend its police complaint decisions.
Recommendation
The IOPC has a statutory duty to uphold confidence in the police complaints system; and we urge the IOPC to embrace this role and to proactively communicate and defend the decisions it makes. (Paragraph 142) 50 Police Conduct and Complaints
Government Response Summary
The government states that the IOPC is already making concerted efforts to uphold confidence in the police complaints system through greater transparency, stakeholder engagement, improved timeliness, and thematic reviews, with their new strategy focusing even more on public confidence.
Home Office
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Conclusions (6)
1
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 6
It is an inevitable part of any complaints system that those whose complaints are not upheld will be discontented. There is none the less a perception that complaints against police officers are unlikely to succeed and that investigations are over- complex, take too long and frequently result in limited action …
Government Response Summary
The government agreed that the existing governance structure of the IOPC, including the combination of Director General and Chair roles, will be considered as part of the Home Secretary's periodic review of the IOPC, which is expected to start in early 2022/23.
8
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 63
It may be too soon to understand whether PCC involvement in the police complaints system is realising the benefits the Government hoped for, but we are concerned that the Government is not doing enough to monitor implementation of the new PCC complaint models or to encourage their uptake.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed further work is needed on cultural change and committed to several actions: establishing the independent Angiolini Inquiry, tasking the police inspectorate to examine conduct and culture, and releasing new experimental police misconduct statistics in May. It also highlighted the College of Policing's review of the Code of Ethics to promote openness and accountability.
9
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 64
We note enhanced opportunities for PCCs to play a greater role in the local complaints process following reforms introduced in 2020. The three models present a unique opportunity for PCCs, as part of their complaint-handling responsibilities, to support proactively and systemically more effective complaints systems within their forces, although nothing …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the need for further work on timeliness and confirmed the Home Office is due to publish experimental police misconduct statistics in May, which will include initial analysis of end-to-end investigation timeliness. It also reiterated the College of Policing's Code of Ethics review and the Angiolini Inquiry.
12
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 81
The police complaints system needs to be simpler and more transparent. We welcome IOPC statutory guidance which encourages forces to use accessible language and formats to explain the system, but it is not evident that all forces are yet doing this. All key stakeholders in the policing sphere (IOPC, NPCC, …
Government Response Summary
The government noted existing requirements for publishing IOPC recommendations and force responses. It committed to considering, with the IOPC, how to better track progress on recommendations and highlighted that an amended Specified Information Order, which came into force on May 31, 2021, now requires PCCs to publish data on complaint handling.
23
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 140
We welcome the IOPC’s work on thematic reviews, specifically its aim to identify systemic learning by taking on more independent investigations in these areas and to improve public confidence in policing and the wider system. Ultimately, the result of such thematic reviews should be manifest in increased public confidence in …
Government Response Summary
The government states the IOPC is already making concerted efforts to uphold public confidence in the police complaints system through actions like thematic reviews, improved transparency, and stakeholder engagement, which are central to its current and upcoming strategies.
26
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 142
Evidence to our inquiry suggests the IOPC could do better in defending its role in police complaint decisions which, though they may not always be amenable to forces or police associations, must be accepted and acted upon if public confidence in accountability in policing is to be improved.
Government Response Summary
The government states that the IOPC is already making concerted efforts to uphold confidence through transparency, improved investigation timeliness, and thematic reviews, and is continuing this focus with its current and new strategies.