More than 1,500 police officers and staff examined by the IOPC for conduct

More than 1,500 police officers and staff have faced examination by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for their conduct in two years.

New IOPC reports being published today (13 May) show for the first time the wide-ranging impact of the organisation, which was established in January 2018 to oversee the police complaints system in England and Wales.

Outcomes Reports for 2018/19 and 2019/20 cover the IOPC’s first two full years in operation.
Over those two years:

• 1,435 investigations were carried out by the IOPC, of which 693 (48%) examined the conduct of at least one individual and 236 (16%) included at least one person under criminal caution
• 1,504 people were investigated by the IOPC in relation to their conduct and 58% (867) were either found to have a case to answer or faced other action, such as unsatisfactory performance proceedings 
• 327 people were criminally investigated by the IOPC and files relating to 176 (54%) individuals were passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider charges
• 51 people were subsequently charged by the CPS with a criminal offence as a result of an IOPC investigation, with a further seven charging decisions from the CPS awaited
• Misconduct was proven in 181 of the 311 cases that went to misconduct proceedings in this period

IOPC Director General Michael Lockwood said: “Accountability is crucial for public confidence in policing and these reports show how the hundreds of investigations we carry out each year ensure that officers’ actions are properly scrutinised.

“The vast majority of police uphold the professional standards the public expect of them. The work they do carries a combination of personal risk, fast decision making and a great deal of sensitivity that is unmatched by any other job. But it is also a job that cannot be done without the confidence of the communities the police serve, or without there being independent scrutiny.

“The cases we investigate which result in disciplinary sanctions by forces or result in criminal proceedings by the Crown Prosecution Service are one end of the spectrum in how police are held to account.

“At the other end of the spectrum we have made over 400 learning recommendations to police forces and policing bodies to improve policing practices through changes to policies, training, supervision and culture. This ensures the system changes, and that mistakes are not repeated.

“Sometimes our investigations find no wrongdoing. That is the whole point of independent scrutiny - providing assurance that conduct has been looked at independently and impartially, with accountability taking many different forms.

“Since the IOPC was set up, we have made great progress to improve the police complaints system. We have and will continue to improve our own in performance with 90% of investigations now completed within 12 months. We have pushed successfully for much needed changes and will continue to do so in future.”