Independent Office for Police Conduct launch campaign to raise awareness of the complaints system with young people

The following blog from IOPC Director General Michael Lockwood and the IOPC Youth Panel marks the launch of the campaign.

Young people are amongst those who are least likely to know about the police complaints system and sadly, when they do, they have some of the lowest levels of confidence in it.

That’s the stark reality of what we know through our own research and the work of our Youth Panel over the last three years.

Since early 2018 the IOPC has worked with a group of young people to help understand why they have low confidence in the police complaints system, the barriers which prevent their engagement and potential solutions to increase trust and confidence.

Social enterprise Leaders Unlocked were commissioned to recruit a diverse Youth Panel of 16-24 year olds from across England and Wales. We now have more than 30 members and the Panel are going into their fourth year of working with the IOPC.

The IOPC is independent of the police and has responsibility for improving awareness of and confidence in the complaints system. An effective complaints system and independent oversight of it, is a vital part of securing public confidence in policing.

Now more than ever the public need assurance that that there are checks and balances to police powers, and there is accountability and learning when things go wrong.

Ensuring that young people are aware of their right to complain and are confident to use the complaints system, has been a key priority for the IOPC since it was launched in 2018.

To support this, we have worked with our Youth Panel, to develop a campaign called ‘Know Your Rights’. The campaign is aimed at young people aged 13-21. It is informed by the experiences of young people and is design by to ensure their voices are heard.

The campaign is being launched on our new Instagram account. It provides simple, clear information about how you should expect to be treated and how to complain if you are unhappy with an interaction involving the police. The scenarios include mental health episodes, experiencing stereotyping or discrimination and stop and search.

We have been asking organisations such as the NCS and others who are trusted sources among young people to share the posts and spread the message as widely as possible. We would encourage anyone reading this to do the same!

The campaign launches at a time when there are important questions about trust and confidence in the police.

Research from Leaders Unlocked found that young people had mixed experiences of being stopped or dispersed by the police during lockdown with some young people unclear about the rules. Others believed they were stopped or dispersed unnecessarily, for instance when they were alone or with one other person and observing social distancing.

What really sets this project apart is that it’s been co-created with young people at every step. Their input has been invaluable and we hope this report will make a genuinely positive impact.

We know this is just the start and more work is required to improve young people’s confidence so that their voices will be heard. The IOPC will continue to take the necessary steps, but we also need help from those who care about their community and policing to raise awareness about the system and how to use it.

As we begin this campaign it would be great if you could help us by supporting it – please like the posts and share via your Instagram Stories using any of the following hashtags - #IOPC #Knowyourrights #policecomplaints and taggimng @independent_police_conduct, as well as saving them so you have a handy resource if you need them in the future.