Legislative reforms signal a new direction for police complaints system

The Home Office launched the final phase of the legislative reforms to the police complaints system on 1 February 2020.

The reforms will deliver a more efficient system for dealing with police misconduct, making the investigation processes simpler and therefore quicker, including a requirement to provide an explanation where investigations take longer than 12 months.

Importantly, the reforms aim to make the discipline system more proportionate and encourage a much greater emphasis on learning from mistakes.

The IOPC has worked closely with the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), staff associations and others to develop a comprehensive package of improvements.

The changes simplify the complaints system, making it easier to navigate and putting a greater emphasis on handling complaints in a reasonable and proportionate manner.

Other key changes include:

Reasonable and proportionate handling

The reforms require that complaints are handled in a reasonable and proportionate way with greater flexibility in the way complaints are handled and a stronger focus on service to those making a complaint. Complaint handlers have more options available to resolve a complaint and must consider what is reasonable and proportionate for each individual case.

New powers for the IOPC

The reforms give the IOPC new powers to investigate without referral, to investigate all misconduct allegations against chief officers, and to present our own cases at police misconduct hearings.

Stronger focus on learning

A key change is focusing the formal discipline system on breaches of professional standards that would result in formal disciplinary action, enabling police line managers to focus on improving individual learning and behaviours in response to lower level conduct matters – based on a new Reflective Practice Review Process.

Improvements to timeliness

Since 2018 the IOPC has done a lot of work to improve the timeliness of our investigations and we now complete four out of five investigations within 12 months.

The new reforms will help make further improvements. Now those carrying out an investigation (whether it’s the police force or the IOPC) are required to write to the person making the complaint when an investigation takes longer than 12 months.

The changes also reduce the steps required to determine what action should be taken at the end of an investigation.

The IOPC had long argued the case for substantial legislative change and welcome the difference these reforms will make.

Want to know more?

For more information about the reforms to the police complaints system watch the video below.

You can also visit the Home Office website or read our new Statutory guidance on police complaints system.