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About us

We oversee the police complaints system in England and Wales, and investigate the most serious matters relating to police conduct. We also share our learning to improve police practices so that everyone can have trust and confidence in policing.
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The information in this section is also available in an 'easy read' format.

We are the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police complaints watchdog that oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales. We investigate the most serious matters, including deaths following police contact and we set the standards by which the police should handle complaints. 

We are independent, which means that our decisions are made entirely independently of the police and government. Our vision is for everyone to be able to have trust and confidence in policing. 

To achieve this, we use our learning and recommendations from our work to promote high standards of professionalism and accountability in policing. Our evidence-based approach drives improvements in policing practices, for the benefit of the public and the police.

Our mission is improving policing by independent oversight of police complaints, holding police to account and ensuring learning effects change

What we do

Our independence and our governance

Find out more about our governance structure, and what makes us an independent organisation.
Our independence and our governance

Our strategy and performance

Find out about our five year strategy, our performance and how we measure success.
Our strategy and performance
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Find out more about our leadership team

Our people

Find out about our work to engage with communities

Engaging with communities

Equality and diversity

Our task, which is to improve public confidence in policing, means putting people from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences at the heart of everything we do.
Equality and diversity

Complaints

Although most complaints are dealt with by the relevant police, we only investigate the most serious and sensitive matters independently. Find out more in our guide to the complaints process.
Complaints

Work for us

Want to boost public confidence in the police complaints system? Join us and you will be taking part in some of the most challenging and rewarding work you will ever come across.
Work for us