Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Sixth Report - Police Conduct and Complaints
Home Affairs Committee
HC 140
Published 1 March 2022
Recommendations
18
Acknowledged
Para 103
IOPC must expedite investigations and use reinvestigation powers sparingly and judiciously.
Recommendation
The example of its taking seven years to clear one police officer of misconduct is exceptional, but demonstrates why the IOPC must focus its efforts on concluding investigations as quickly as possible. Quite aside from the effect on an individual’s …
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Government Response Summary
The government notes IOPC progress in minimizing investigation delays but agrees more can be done, highlighting revised IOPC guidance for police witnesses. It expresses a desire for improved cooperation from police organizations and mentions wider work on misconduct statistics and the Angiolini Inquiry.
Home Office
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21
Acknowledged
Para 117
IOPC and police forces must strengthen efforts to minimise delays and ensure accountability.
Recommendation
The IOPC must use its powers effectively to minimise delays to investigations at an early stage of the process. It should proactively call to account those responsible for delays or who refuse to co-operate with investigations. Police forces, individual officers …
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Government Response Summary
The government notes IOPC progress on minimizing delays and agrees more can be done, highlighting IOPC's revised guidance for police witnesses and the College of Policing's review of the Code of Ethics to promote challenging bad behavior. It also references the Angiolini Inquiry for wider policing matters.
Home Office
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22
Acknowledged
Para 118
Require Government to ensure timely IOPC investigations and consider stronger guidance.
Recommendation
The progress the IOPC has made in clearing 91% of its core investigations within 12 months is welcome and must be maintained. While there are risks in setting time targets for investigations (not least the incentive for those under investigation …
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Government Response Summary
The government notes the IOPC's progress in minimizing investigation delays and their revised guidance for police witnesses. It agrees that further work on end-to-end system timeliness is needed and would welcome Home Office leadership on this issue, but does not commit to stronger governmental guidance on inquiry lengths.
Home Office
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30
Acknowledged
Review and centrally publish IOPC, HMICFRS, and Coroners' learning recommendations data.
Recommendation
We urge the Government to review how IOPC, HMICFRS, and Coroners’ learning recommendations are reported to the public in a more joined-up and meaningful way. We recommend that data be published centrally, in order to simplify and streamline access to …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees there is a case for greater coordination and clarification on learning recommendations and will consider the proposal for central publication further, exploring possible join-up with IOPC and other bodies.
Home Office
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Conclusions (5)
14
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 97
Evidence to our inquiry suggests that insufficient focus is given to the staffing and operation of some professional standards departments including their culture, transparency and ethnic diversity representation.
Government Response Summary
The government recognises the risk of a lack of appropriate representation in professional standards departments and commits to outlining urgent actions regarding ethnic minority staffing disparities in a future response to the Macpherson report.
19
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 116
It is unsatisfactory and unedifying to hear policing organisations blame the IOPC for delay while the IOPC suggests officers may drag their heels in cooperating with investigations. Nor is it wholly sufficient for Chief Constable Guildford to suggest Police Conduct and Complaints 49 the IOPC could resolve some of that …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the issue of delays and cooperation, noting the IOPC's efforts, including revised guidance for witnesses. It expresses disappointment with the Police Federation's stance but looks forward to working with police forces to improve cooperation.
24
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 141
We welcome the super-complaints process and are encouraged by the Home Office’s pledge to review the designated bodies that can submit super-complaints on systemic issues in policing to include a broader range of organisations, including disability organisations.
Government Response Summary
The government notes and expresses pleasure regarding the Committee's positive comments on the February 2020 reforms and its encouragement for the Home Office's pledge to review designated super-complaint bodies.
31
Conclusion
Para 153
The IOPC has made concerted efforts in its first three years to build public trust in the police complaints system by actively listening to policing bodies and communities about their concerns and by providing greater transparency in the publication of the outcome of its investigations.
32
Conclusion
It is troubling, nine years on from the Committee’s last report on this topic, that concerns are still raised about delays to investigations that detrimentally affect people’s lives, about complexity of language and processes, and about inconsistency in updating and supporting officers and complainants during investigations. (Paragraph 154) Police Conduct …