Police standards: Complaints

The police complaints system provides a way for members of the public to raise concerns or dissatisfaction about the police.

Who handles complaints against the police?

There are three crucial actors in the police complaints system:

• Professional standards departments (PSDs) are specialist teams based within every police force in England and Wales. They are responsible for handling most complaints for their force.
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is an independent body that oversees the police complaints system. It also conducts independent investigations into some of the most serious police complaints and conduct matters and death and serious injuries following police contact.
• Local policing bodies (either the police and crime commissioner or the deputy mayor for policing and crime, depending on the area) are responsible for monitoring their force’s complaint handling and conducting some complaint reviews.

How are police complaints handled?

Police complaints can be handled in different ways, depending on the seriousness of the complaint and the specific arrangements of the local area.

However, most complaints will follow this process:

• When a complaint is made, it will be logged by the PSD of the local force.
• The PSD will decide whether the complaint can be resolved informally or whether it must be formally recorded, and whether it requires an investigation.
• The PSD will handle most complaints from start to finish, including conducting any investigation and compiling a report of its findings.
• The PSD will only refer the most serious complaints to the IOPC, according to the mandatory referral criteria. On receiving a referral, the IOPC will assess (based on a mandatory referral criteria) if and how the complaint should be investigated.
• Whoever is investigating the complaint (the PSD or the IOPC) will determine whether there is any indication of police misconduct, whether there is any learning which can be identified, or if no further action is required.
• If a complainant is unhappy with the outcome of their complaint, they can usually request a review of how their complaint was handled. Depending on the complaint, the review body is either the IOPC or the local policing body. Complaints handled by the IOPC can’t be reviewed.

In some areas, local policing bodies will be involved in the logging and initial handling of complaints.

This system applies to the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales and to other non-home office forces operating in England and Wales (albeit with some slight variations in procedures).

In Scotland, Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner are involved in the delivery of the police complaints system. In Northern Ireland, police complaints are handled by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

What are the laws on police complaints?

The statutory rules governing the police complaints system in England and Wales are explained in Statutory guidance published by the IOPC. The rules themselves are legislated for in the Police Reform Act 2002 and Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020.

The police complaints system can be complex. This briefing provides an introductory overview of the system and aims to support MPs and members of the public to better understand and navigate it.