Complex police complaints
Overly complex and technical language in police complaints and discipline systems, leading to public disengagement.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 10 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
8 inquiry recs
5 PFD reports
42 committee recs
1 IOPC rec
5 IMB recs
2 DHR recs
30 LGO/SPSO decisions
7 CJINI reports
1 EHRC compliance action
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry recommendations(8)
COVID-M2.5 — Advisory Group Terms of Appointment
Recommendation: The Government Office for Science (GO-Science), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) should each develop standard terms of appointment for all participants in scientific advisory groups. These terms should include: clarity around the …
Gov response: No formal response published by this government.
Accepted
COVID-M2.4 — Publish Technical Advice During Emergencies
Recommendation: During a whole-system civil emergency, the UK government and devolved administrations should each routinely publish technical advice on scientific, economic and social matters at the earliest opportunity, as well as the minutes of expert advisory groups – except where there …
Gov response: No formal response published by this government.
Accepted
3 — Disapply 12-month limit for CSA police complaints
Recommendation: The Chair and Panel recommend that the National Police Chiefs' Council ensures that complaints relating to child sexual abuse are no longer 'disapplied' by police forces on the grounds that the incident involved took place more than 12 months before …
Gov response: This recommendation is directed at the National Police Chiefs' Council which has responded separately to the Inquiry.
Accepted
MACP-10 — Disclose investigating officers' reports to complainants, subject only to substantial harm test
Recommendation: That Investigating Officers' reports resulting from public complaints should not attract Public Interest Immunity as a class. They should be disclosed to complainants, subject only to the "substantial harm" test for withholding disclosure.
Unknown
JB-15.24 — IOPC power to require management action below misconduct threshold
Recommendation: The IOPC should be provided with the power to require a force to take 'management action' in situations that fall short of misconduct but where standards of conduct and/or performance have fallen short of a reasonable public expectation. A force …
Gov response: Directed to Home Office. Part of broader review of complaints and disciplinary system.
Response Unclear
JB-15.23 — Written questions as alternative to face-to-face IOPC interviews
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to the introduction of a practice requiring, as an alternative to a face-to-face interview, the submission of a list of questions for written answer within a fixed time – failure to provide which, absent a reasonable …
Gov response: IOPC has called for fundamental reform of complaints and disciplinary system. Government announced intention to commission review.
Response Unclear
DM-12 — Resources for tackling police corruption
Recommendation: The Metropolitan Police must ensure that the necessary resources are allocated to the task of tackling corrupt behaviour among its officers. Without proper resources there can be no effective fight against corruption. Since the Independent Office for Police Conduct has …
Gov response: - Resourcing review and demand profiling completed. - Result – counter corruption teams are sufficiently resourced to meet current and future demands. Broader Discipline teams have increased staffing during 2021. - An HMICFRS inspection is …
Accepted
JB-15.25 — Simple misconduct allegations to survive officer resignation
Recommendation: Serious consideration should be given to the public interest in amending the current legislation so that allegations of 'simple' misconduct, as distinct from 'gross' misconduct, will survive following a police officer's resignation or retirement. I do not recommend that the …
Gov response: Directed to Home Office. Part of broader review of complaints and disciplinary system.
Response Unclear
Prevention of Future Deaths reports(5)
Gregory Rewkowski
Concerns: Concerns included Pennine Care Trust's process for raising welfare concerns and escalating issues, North West Ambulance Service's limited investigation and inadequate telephone triage, and inter-agency confusion over police roles in Section 136 incidents.
Response (Pennine Care NHS Trust): • Staffing levels on wards have increased, and a memo has been issued to staff regarding seeking support from On-Call managers. • The Trust is seeking to update policies and … (AI summary)
Response (Greater Manchester Police): • Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has implemented a Control Room Triage (CRT) service, operational 24/7 since September 2018, which integrates mental health professionals with police staff to support responses to … (AI summary)
Response (GMCA): • A pan-Greater Manchester (GM) protocol for response has been developed to establish common understanding, shared risk assessment, and communication and escalation procedures. • Eight issues were identified, and task … (AI summary)
Responded
Nicola Forster
Concerns: The coroner noted a culture of poor management and institutional defensiveness within the MPS, where junior officers feared speaking out and senior management was unwilling to listen independently to concerns, despite changes in policy.
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): • The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) introduced a new 'Raising Concerns' policy in May 2023, which expanded its scope and provided clearer guidance for reporting wrongdoing. • The MPS established … (AI summary)
Responded
Martin Stubbs
Concerns: The coroner noted concerns regarding the significant delay in concluding Mr Stubbs' internal disciplinary process and the length of his suspension, stating that the legitimate expectation for such matters to be dealt with expeditiously was not met.
Response (West Yorkshire Police): • West Yorkshire Police implemented a process for the DCI at Professional Standards to review gross misconduct investigations every three months to assess resources. • West Yorkshire Police implemented a … (AI summary)
Response (Independent Office for Police Conduct): • The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) circulated an internal communication to investigative staff, signposting them to existing welfare guidance and instructing them on how to handle and escalate … (AI summary)
Responded
Alfie Lawless
Concerns: The coroner raised concerns regarding the length of time it took for Greater Manchester Police to recognise Mr Lawless’s death as a 'Death or Serious Injury' under the Police Reform Act 2002.
Response (GMP): • The Professional Standards Directorate (PSD) has reviewed its internal processes for assessing Death or Serious Injury (DSI) incidents. • A new form has been designed and circulated to Appropriate … (AI summary)
Responded
Rebekah Arter
Concerns: The coroner expresses concern over potential missed opportunities by the IOPC and Metropolitan Police Service to identify Rebekah as a victim of domestic abuse and coercive control, hindering her protection. This involved a history of unexplained injuries and her husband's misuse of police powers.
Response (Independent Office for Police Complaints): • The IOPC stated it has robust safeguarding procedures in place, which were updated and strengthened in 2024. • The IOPC indicated it would review its guidance regarding risk assessments … (AI summary)
Response (Home Office): • The Home Office provided £13.1 million to establish a National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection. • Reforms were introduced to police misconduct and vetting … (AI summary)
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): • The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) launched a new Force Vetting Policy in June 2024, which includes a Statement of Vetting Tolerances and a Vetting Decision-Making Framework. • The MPS … (AI summary)
Responded
Select committee recommendations(42)
#13 — Tax system complexity drives evasion, errors, increased costs, and greater customer contact.
Recommendation: We asked HMRC what areas of the tax system need to be addressed to achieve efficiencies. HMRC said the tax system is very complex, which generates opportunities for evasion and avoidance, can cause errors and increase costs through greater customer …
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Complex patchwork of CIL coverage and charging schedules across England lacks transparency.
Recommendation: Around half of local planning authorities have adopted CIL, and its uptake has remained broadly unchanged for several years. There has been little progress towards addressing the complex patchwork of CIL coverage and charging schedules across England in the years …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Develop and publish Section 106 template clauses to streamline negotiations for local authorities.
Recommendation: As part of the site thresholds consultation that will take place later this year, the Ministry must seek views on how standardised Section 106 templates could most effectively streamline the negotiation process across sites of all sizes. Based on the …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Police complaints system language remains overly complex, reducing public confidence
Recommendation: The Government’s recent changes to the police complaints and discipline systems were intended to simplify and speed up the process. Nonetheless, the language used to explain systems to members of the public who wish to make complaints remains too complex …
Response attribution not verified
#1 — Public perceives police misconduct complaints as over-complex, lengthy, and unlikely to result in significant action.
Recommendation: 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- …
Response attribution not verified
#32 — Persistent concerns regarding delays, complexity, and inconsistency in police investigations.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#27 — 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
Response attribution not verified
#26 — IOPC needs to improve defence of its police complaint decisions for public confidence.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — Require police stakeholders to publish plain language versions of complaints systems
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#9 — PCCs have enhanced opportunities to improve police complaints through new models and scrutiny
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#4 — Many complainants remain unsatisfied with police and IOPC investigations into officer misconduct and sanctions applied.
Recommendation: Each complaint has unique features, and we have heard from a significant number of people whose dealings with police forces, the IOPC or its predecessor have left them unsatisfied with the investigation of their complaints or the level of sanction …
Response attribution not verified
#30 —
Recommendation: In response to this report the Government should provide us with data on the number of covid-19 related single justice procedure cases, which includes data on the outcome of the cases and the level of fine imposed.
Response attribution not verified
#29 —
Recommendation: For covid-19 related offences a recipient of a fixed penalty notice, who does not pay the fine within 28 days should be told promptly if a police force decides not to charge. A recipient of a fixed penalty notice should …
Response attribution not verified
#28 —
Recommendation: We acknowledge the policing Minister’s point about proportionality but are concerned that the review process for covid-19 related fixed penalty notices was inconsistently applied by different police forces and unclear. For future use of fixed penalty notices the Government should …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Introduce a statutory Section 106 dispute resolution scheme for housing development.
Recommendation: The Government should introduce a statutory Section 106 dispute resolution scheme, under the provisions of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. If the Government does not intend to pursue this, it should set out a detailed explanation as to why …
Response attribution not verified
#9 — Protracted Section 106 negotiations causing significant delays to housing delivery.
Recommendation: Local planning authorities across England have expressed concern that protracted Section 106 negotiations are causing delays to housing delivery. Drawn out negotiations do not benefit public outcomes and cause undue delays to development, which may impede the Government’s housebuilding ambitions. …
Response attribution not verified
#4 — Strong case exists for Section 106 template clauses to streamline negotiations and reduce workload.
Recommendation: There is a strong case for the introduction of template clauses for aspects of Section 106 agreements across England, as was recommended by the National Audit Office and others. Templates would allow local authorities to focus negotiations on site-specific factors …
Response attribution not verified
#28 — IOPC learning recommendations to police forces lack effective follow-up monitoring.
Recommendation: We are concerned that IOPC learning recommendations made to police forces across England and Wales to improve policies and practice in the handling of police complaints are not monitored for follow-up action. We have heard of a lack of clarity …
Response attribution not verified
#25 — 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Fund PCCs adequately to implement Models 2 or 3 for complaint-handling roles
Recommendation: We urge the Government to fund PCCs adequately to take on Models 2 or 3 as a minimum requirement in their complaint-handling roles. This will provide PCCs the opportunity to work more closely with their forces, for example, to record …
Response attribution not verified
#8 — Government failing to adequately monitor and encourage new PCC complaint models
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#7 — 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.
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Operation Midland failures reveal urgent need for robust police complaints system accountability.
Recommendation: The sorry story of Operation Midland and subsequent inquiries into how it was conducted demonstrates why a robust complaints and conduct system is necessary if the public is to be confident that police officers behave properly and will be held …
Response attribution not verified
#44 — Police forces' inconsistent data collection obscures ethnic disparity in misconduct cases.
Recommendation: It is completely unacceptable that forces’ data on ethnic disparity in police misconduct has been inconsistent and incomplete to the point where it cannot be understood or acted upon. We are appalled that it has not been possible for us …
Response attribution not verified
#31 — IOPC has made efforts to build public trust through increased transparency.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#29 — Require Government to monitor and review accountability for implementing IOPC recommendations bi-annually.
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government monitor and review bi-annually how effectively local policing bodies are holding their chief constables accountable for implementing IOPC recommendations to their forces, and report the outcomes to us.
Response attribution not verified
#24 — Home Office pledge to broaden super-complaints designated bodies is welcomed.
Recommendation: 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.
Response attribution not verified
#6 — Appoint an independent chair alongside the IOPC director general to restore checks and balances
Recommendation: It has been argued that uniting the roles of chair and director general of the IOPC aids clearer decision-making and action. We disagree. This is not normal practice and it detracts from the ability properly to scrutinise the executive action …
Response attribution not verified
#3 — IOPC should widen investigator pool to include candidates with non-police investigative experience.
Recommendation: The question arose during our inquiry whether the IOPC should be staffed by investigators who were not former police officers. Opinion divided on whether those who had served in the police should be excluded for potentially ‘marking their own homework’ …
Response attribution not verified
#16 — Reformed online services frequently exhibit functionality issues, causing significant delays and user problems.
Recommendation: Despite these assurances, stakeholders such as the Law Society reported that some reformed services failed to meet their needs. For example, it explained that there were functionality issues with online portals for family services, such as family public law. These …
Response attribution not verified
#46 — Professional Standards Departments lack BME representation and face institutional racism perceptions.
Recommendation: Police forces must act swiftly to address perceptions that Professional Standards Departments are marked by institutionally racist practices. In addition, forces must address unacceptable racial disproportionality in their composition: it is totally unacceptable that 63% of all Professional Standards Departments …
Response attribution not verified
#45 — Progress addressing ethnic disparity in police misconduct requires consistent monitoring and a future audit.
Recommendation: We take some encouragement from the NPCC’s national review into ethnic disparity in police misconduct and the work done by some individual forces to attempt to close the gap. The follow-up work from this review which has been reported to …
Response attribution not verified
#43 — Racial disparity in police officer dismissals and disciplinary processes remains persistent.
Recommendation: There is clear racial disparity in the number of officers being dismissed from police forces—BME officers are more than twice as likely to be dismissed as White officers— and in the number of BME officers and staff being subjected to …
Response attribution not verified
#23 — IOPC thematic reviews demonstrate potential to improve public confidence and policing practice.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Urgently set out a ten-year policing workforce plan addressing numbers, skills, and London's challenges.
Recommendation: We again recommend that the Home Office set out a workforce plan and strategy for policing over the next ten years as a matter of urgency. As previously set out, the plan should address officer and staff numbers and skills …
Response attribution not verified
#9 — Resource demands from protests highlight urgent need for a national police workforce plan.
Recommendation: Following the policing priorities inquiry, we concluded that it was no longer sufficient for individual police forces to design their own workforce plans and recommended that the Home Office set out and implement a national workforce strategy that addresses officer …
Response attribution not verified
#7 — Repetitive protests significantly strain police resources, impacting other duties and officer wellbeing.
Recommendation: The repetitive nature of the recent large Israel-Gaza protests places considerable resource constraints on the police. This places additional pressure on the Met, which, having failed to meet the Uplift target, already struggles to meet the regular demands of policing …
Response attribution not verified
#21 — Departments recover a minority of detected fraud, hindered by fragmented enforcement powers.
Recommendation: Departments also only recover a minority of the fraud they detect. In 2020–21, departments had recovered £29 million out of the £243 million of detected fraud. Enforcement and recovery powers are also fragmented across government, which exacerbates the challenge government …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Develop cross-government communication strategy highlighting efforts in pursuing fraudsters and counter-fraud effectiveness.
Recommendation: Government is not generating enough of a deterrence effect from pursuing those that commit fraud against the public purse. Most of government’s investigatory and enforcement capability sits in HM Revenue & Customs and DWP. PSFA will in due course set …
Response attribution not verified
#90 — IOPC previously complacent on race, now commits to focused discrimination review
Recommendation: Evidence given to this inquiry indicates that the IOPC (and the IPCC before it) has been too complacent on matters of race, and specifically has not worked to collate data consistently (see chapter five). We welcome the IOPC’s announcement, in …
Response attribution not verified
#25 — Require police and CPS to publish analysed data on Victims' Right to Review Scheme.
Recommendation: Given some victims and survivors’ negative experiences of the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme, we agree with Rape Crisis England and Wales that the Government require the police and the CPS to publish data covering how many cases are submitted …
Response attribution not verified
#21 — Criminal Justice Board failed to meet for two years, undermining system coordination.
Recommendation: We repeatedly heard from MoJ that the various parts of the criminal justice system–courts, prisons, probation services and police–are connected and changes in one part of the system have consequences elsewhere.52 However, for two years between July 2021 and July …
Response attribution not verified
IMB individual recommendations(5)
Leicester (2020)
When serious assaults on staff are referred to the police and the courts, the process is slow and the sentences awarded are variable (see section 5.2.6). The Board asks if the minister is satisfied that the management of those prison officers subjected to assault is fair, and comparable to that for other public servants.
Ministry of Justice
In Progress
Brinsford (2024)
The Crown Prosecution Service does not follow up and prosecute sufficiently on assaults.
Other
In Progress
Elmley (2024)
Ensure that UoF reviews and discrimination incident reporting forms are independently scrutinised to ensure procedures are fair and transparent.
Governor / Director
Grendon (2020)
improvements to recategorisation, to ensure fair process (see paragraph 7.3.1)
Governor / Director
In Progress
London short term holding facilities (STHF) (2025)
We seek clarity on the mechanism for deciding whether a removal constitutes a complex case in terms of an escorted removal.
Home Office
Independent reviews(13)
Jones: Patronising Disposition Review — Rec 25
Policy and practice in respect of police complaints and disciplinary proceedings have been reformed substantially – largely in response to public concern following the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report in 2012. I welcome those changes but recognise that is too early to assess their effectiveness. The fresh criminal …
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 9
The Home Office should consider, in consultation with the IOPC, the merits and implications of options to address an apparent gap in the police complaints and disciplinary systems, to ensure learning is made and individuals held accountable where a death or serious injury during or following police contact is only …
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 7
The IOPC should consider embedding the following as core investigation principles: investigators should speak – or, even better, meet – with any complainant or bereaved family members at the outset of an investigation to understand what they want from the investigation; investigation terms of reference should not be drawn so …
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 5
The Government should convene a senior working group – including the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, IOPC, police, CPS, Office of the Chief Coroner and HSE – to map key processes and identify common pinch points in police, IOPC, CPS and coronial activities. This group could consider: how to ensure …
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 1
The IOPC should continue to prioritise tackling its backlog of reviews and give due consideration to keeping in place the additional, temporary casework managers it has recruited, so it can far more quickly address its backlog and the long delays facing complainants.
Policing & Security
Chapman Police Disciplinary Review — Rec 11
Investigations for chief officers must be carried out by an independent body such as the IPCC.
Policing & Security
Winsor Review Part 2 — Rec 48
Officers who have been subject to compulsory severance should have access to employment tribunals if they wish to allege that their severance has been unfair.
Policing & Security
Winsor Review Part 2 — Rec 42
The Police Act 1996 should be amended to give the Police Appeals Tribunal the same power as an employment tribunal in respect of the remedies it may order when it has found in favour of a claimant police officer.
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 68
The IOPC should track the proportion of reviews or investigations that are not completed because complainants pull out of the process, as well as the reasons given for this.
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 6
The IOPC should consider internally, as part of a review of its operating model, whether and how the investigations' timeliness and quality might improve from introducing: specialised investigation teams. Examples might include: adverse incident or deaths in custody team; fatal uses of force team (firearms, taser, physical restraint); or a …
Policing & Security
Chapman Police Disciplinary Review — Rec 12
The provision in PRA 2002 Schedule 3 should be amended to include a provision to tackle vexatious complainers.
Policing & Security
IOPC Review — Rec 22
The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and IOPC should consider and consult on options to make challenges to IOPC decisions more accessible, in particular whether the financial liability to cover the IOPC's legal costs should be capped if an application for Judicial Review of the lawfulness of an IOPC decision …
Policing & Security
Casey Review — Rec 1
The misconduct process is not fit for purpose. A new, independent, multi-disciplinary team of officers and staff should be brought in by the Met to reform how it deals with misconduct cases, with a particular focus on how it handles sexual misconduct, domestic abuse and discrimination.
Policing & Security
Accepted
LGO / SPSO decisions(30)
PSOW-202206432 — South Wales Police and Crime Panel
Mr Y complained that the South Wales Police and Crime Panel had failed to respond to his complaint submitted in March 2022. In considering the complaint the Ombudsman was concerned about the delays and that Mr Y had been inconvenienced by the Panel’s failure to provide a response. As an …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Policing
Feb 2023
21-001-854 — Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: Mr X complained about how the Police and Crime Commissioner handled his contacts about the actions of officers of a police force, including those delegated to take actions on behalf of the Chief Constable. The Ombudsman’s decision is we should end our investigation. This is because Mr X is …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Not Upheld
Feb 2022
22-010-369 — West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of a Police and Crime Commissioner reviewing complaints about a police force in relation to a criminal investigation. We have no jurisdiction to investigate this matter.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Nov 2022
24-005-944 — West Berkshire Council
Summary: We cannot by law investigate this complaint about the Council’s trading standards investigation into alleged criminal offences. any action taken by or on behalf of any local policing body in connection with the investigation or prevention of crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Sep 2024
25-000-781 — Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner because it relates to underlying policing matters, including the investigation of crime. We have no power to investigate these matters. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Authority’s complaint handling because there …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Jun 2025
201508353 — Police Investigations & Review Commissioner
Mrs C made a complaint on behalf of her stepson (Mr A). He was unhappy with Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC)'s response to his service complaint about the way they dealt with a complaint about Police Scotland. In particular, Mr A said that in replying to his concerns, PIRC …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Scottish Government and Devolved Administration
Not Upheld
Sep 2016
22-008-531 — Transport for London
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that he was assaulted by enforcement agents acting on behalf of Transport for London. This is because the police and the courts are better placed to consider the issue.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Oct 2022
24-016-233 — Broxtowe Borough Council
Summary: Mrs X complained that the Council issued a Community Protection Warning, followed by a further warning of a Community Protection Notice, without any evidence against her. We found that a Community Protection Notice was later issued, which Mrs X could have appealed in court. Based on this evidence, we …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Not Upheld
Jun 2025
24-011-834 — Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Authority’s consideration of X’s complaint against police. Because we cannot investigate the substantive matters that X initially complained about, we cannot carry out any meaningful investigation and there is no worthwhile outcome we can achieve.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Nov 2024
22-006-963 — Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Police and Crime Commissioner. This is because the complaint relates to the investigation of a crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2022
23-009-813 — Durham County Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to issue the complainant with a Community Protection Warning. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Mar 2024
23-018-807 — Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about how the Police and Crime Commissioner dealt with complaints about police action. We cannot investigate matters about the prevention and detection of crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Apr 2024
24-000-023 — Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about actions taken against him by the police which he believes are the result of a campaign against him by a council officer acting as Police and Crime Commissioner. There is no evidence to show the action taken against Mr X was directed …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2024
24-014-174 — Oxford City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council reporting the complainant to the Police. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Nov 2024
201003706 — Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland
The complainant, Mrs C, raised a large number of concerns about a review carried out by the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS). If a member of the public has concerns about the way a police force has dealt with a complaint they are entitled to ask the PCCS to …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Scottish Government and Devolved Administration
Not Upheld
Feb 2012
PSOW-202206582 — Pembrokeshire County Council
Mrs S complained that Pembrokeshire County Council failed to deal with her complaint and felt that her concerns were not being resolved. She further complained that despite promises to inspect her fence in October 2022,the Council had not yet actioned this. The Ombudsman concluded that the Council failed to act …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Local Government
Feb 2023
24-002-804 — Transport for London
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Transport for London’s handling of the enforcement process and associated complaints regarding a penalty charge notice. The complainant has already used his rights of appeal to court and a statutory tribunal, we will not look at the complaints process in isolation, and …
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Jul 2024
24-006-703 — London Borough of Redbridge
Summary: We will not investigate Ms B’s complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice she received for an alleged moving traffic contravention. This is because it was reasonable for Ms B to put in an appeal to London Tribunals.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Jul 2024
24-002-038 — London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the conduct of a traffic warden because we could not add to the Council’s investigation and there is nothing worthwhile we could achieve.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Jul 2024
25-003-751 — London Borough of Wandsworth
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a Council officer’s actions in issuing him a Fixed Penalty Notice for spitting. This is because Mr X can raise a defence against the matter in court if he considers there is fault in the way it was issued. We cannot …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Aug 2025
25-005-481 — Leeds City Council
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council failed to take action against his neighbours, who are Council tenants, after his fence was damaged. This is because we have no power to consider the Council’s action in connection with its management of its social housing.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Oct 2025
25-001-406 — London Borough of Ealing
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s concerns about antisocial behaviour and safeguarding. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Oct 2025
24-016-110 — Sheffield City Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his noise complaint. This is because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Oct 2025
24-000-900 — Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: Mr X complained the Council issued him with a Community Protection Warning without giving him the chance to defend himself. He said the allegation was unfounded, but the Council did not verify events with any of his neighbours and did not provide any evidence for its decision. We found …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Not Upheld
Nov 2024
201002513 — Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Mr C complained that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) (including the Lord Advocate) had failed to adequately respond to correspondence from him. Having carefully reviewed the correspondence between Mr C and the COPFS, we were satisfied that the responses he received were adequate and in line with …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Scottish Government and Devolved Administration
Not Upheld
Dec 2012
201604078 — Midlothian Council
Ms C, who works for an advocacy and support agency, complained on behalf of her client (Mr A). Ms C complained that the council unreasonably failed to respond to Mr A's complaints of anti-social behaviour by a neighbour. Ms C also complained about the council's complaints handling. Our investigation found …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Local Government
Upheld
Aug 2017
201702241 — Glasgow Housing Association
Mrs C complained about how the housing association had dealt with her reports of anti-social behaviour and that there had been failures in their communication with her. We found that, although the association were unable to share the details of the actions they had taken when Mrs C reported anti-social …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Local Government
Partly Upheld
May 2018
201707161 — Glasgow Housing Association
Mrs C complained on behalf of her late mother (Ms A) that the housing association failed to take reasonable action or provide an appropriate level of support in response to reports of anti-social behaviour. Ms A had made a number of complaints about anti-social noise caused by her upstairs neighbour. …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Local Government
Not Upheld
Jun 2018
21-004-233 — Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: Miss C said the Council was at fault for the way in which it investigated a complaint about antisocial behaviour made against her by a neighbour. The Council was not at fault. It received a complaint and investigated it, as it was required to do.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Not Upheld
Mar 2022
21-018-142 — Cheshire West & Chester Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions in response to a complaint about nuisance from a neighbour’s car. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Mar 2022
Domestic Homicide Reviews(2)
Newcastle-Under-Lyme — recommendation c
For there to be a clear protocol between IMR authors and Professional Standards investigators for speaking to staff involved in IPCC enquiries where:- 1) It is known from the outset that the IPCC have an interest in the case; 2) Where an initial scope of the case indicates that identified …
Staffordshire Police
Staffordshire Police
Sandwell — recommendation 3
West Midlands Police to review the manner in which complaints of serious domestically related offences are investigated and ensure compliance with the NPIA Guidance on Investigating Domestic Abuse, especially with regard to cases where the complaint is withdrawn and where there is evidence to support to original allegation.
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
CJINI inspection reports(7)
Inspection of the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Policing, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Dec 2005
An inspection into the independence of the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Policing, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Sep 2011
The Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland – A process verification assessment
Policing, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Sep 2014
Investigation of abuse of position concerns and complaints by the Office of the Police Ombudsman
Policing, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Mar 2025
The relationship between PSNI and the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Policing, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Dec 2013
A review into the methods the PSNI use to disclose information in respect of historic cases to the OPONI
Policing, Police Internal Operations, Police Ombudsman for …
Apr 2020
The handling of Complaints – A follow-up review of inspections recommendations
Governance, The Criminal Justice System
Apr 2014