Consultation on new statutory guidance

15 Nov 2018 11:20 AM

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) yesterday opened a consultation on new statutory guidance on the police complaints system.

The IOPC has a duty to secure public confidence in the police complaints system in England and Wales and to ensure it is efficient and effective. This guidance is one the ways in which the IOPC assists the police and Police and Crime Commissioners to achieve high standards in the handling of complaints, conduct matters, and death and serious injury matters, and comply with their legal obligations.

The new guidance is being produced to support the reforms made to the police complaints system, which are expected to launch next year, as a result of the Policing and Crime Act 2017. The reforms are designed to achieve a more customer-focused complaints system, with more local accountability and more emphasis on learning and reasonable and proportionate handling.

IOPC Director General Michael Lockwood yesterday said:

“Our statutory guidance plays a vital role in ensuring that learning, improvement and accountability are at the heart of the police complaints system. We want to ensure that our new guidance supports the changes intended by the reforms, and that it helps practitioners achieve high standards when dealing with complaints and serious incidents involving the police.

We are therefore seeking the views of those who work within the complaints system, and those who can offer the user’s perspective, to help us do this.”

The guidance and consultation document can be found here.