Chief Executive's response to Home Office report on the IPCC

5 Apr 2011 11:52 AM

Speaking after the Home Office published their response to the Home Affairs Select Committee report in to the work of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the organisation's Chief Executive Jane Furniss said:

“I am pleased that the Government has recognised the work we have done to put complainants at the heart of the system and is confident that we are delivering on the statutory duties given to us by Parliament. The Government response is supportive of the IPCC and rejects some of the concerns put forward by the select committee in relation to our work. As the Public Accounts Committee has previously acknowledged, the IPCC has helped to improve access to, and raise public confidence in, the police complaints system. The system is more accessible and officers who have committed criminal or disciplinary matters have been held accountable.

“As the Government’s response reflects we are making progress in a number of areas, improving our efficiency and consistency to devote more resources to investigations and casework. As examples, against a backdrop of increased numbers of independent investigations we have improved their timeliness, and we are steadily reducing a backlog of appeals.

“The complaints system is now more focussed on addressing the interests of the complainant thanks to the introduction of new Statutory Guidance and more regularly published data. We have also contributed changes to the complaints system that form part of the Police Reform Bill currently going through Parliament. We are confident these changes will increase local accountability, and make the system quicker and less bureaucratic.

“The IPCC is proud of its staff and the high quality work they produce, which consistently stands up to rigorous public examination in inquests and criminal trials. We work in a controversial and adversarial environment. We fully agree there is much more work to do and we will continue to listen to the views of critics who have strong views for and against the police. However, we believe the high levels of public confidence in the IPCC, which are shown in repeated independent public opinion surveys, reflect our commitment to carry out our work and reach conclusions fairly, impartially and solely on the evidence.

“We understand the select committee is likely to call the Chair back to give evidence before the summer recess and we look forward to the positive opportunity to update them on progress in our performance.”