Advice on Making a Complaint
It is important that you read the information on this page in full before making a complaint.
What can I complain about?
If you think that a police officer or member of police staff has behaved incorrectly or unfairly, you have the right to make a complaint.
People who work in the police service should behave appropriately at all times. Expectations about the behaviour of both police officers and members of police staff are set out in their respective Standards of Professional Behaviour. These expectations include requirements to:
- Act with honesty and integrity, fairness and impartiality
- Treat members of the public and their colleagues with respect
- Not abuse their powers and authority
- Act in a manner that does not discredit or undermine public confidence in the police service
If you feel that someone working for the police has not met these standards, you can make a complaint. These types of complaints are dealt with under the Police Reform Act 2002.
Other types of complaint
Complaints about the overall policies or procedures of a police force are often referred to as ‘direction and control’ issues. These can include complaints about the organisation of a police force, or general policing standards in your local area. These complaints cannot be dealt with under the Police Reform Act 2002.
These complaints can be made by using any of the previously described methods, and will be assessed by the force.
Your complaint will be recorded by the Professional Standards and Legal Services Department (PSD) of Durham Constabulary. PSD’s have overall responsibility for recording and handling complaints about the conduct of individual officers or members of police staff. PSD’s are completely separate from the officers or members of staff who are complained about.
How will my complaint be dealt with?
Once your complaint is accepted and recorded as being about the conduct of a police officer or member of police staff, then it will be dealt with in one of two ways:
Local resolution
Local resolution is an informal approach to resolving complaints. It allows forces to learn lessons and improve the way they do things. Many people prefer their complaint to be dealt with in this way. You cannot have your complaint dealt with using local resolution unless you agree to it.
If you agree to have your complaint addressed through local resolution, a local manager will discuss your complaint with you and draw up an action plan covering the issues you have raised.
If at the end of the local resolution process you are dissatisfied with the process followed, you have a right of appeal to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). For more information, visit the IPCC website www.ipcc.gov.uk.
Local investigation
If your complaint is not suitable for Local Resolution, a local investigation will be carried out by the police. The investigator will be assigned from the force PSD.
You will be informed how your complaint will be investigated, what co-operation is required from you, how a decision will be reached and what action will be taken at the end of the investigation. The type of investigation will depend on the nature and seriousness of your complaint and the likely outcome. An investigation might range from telephone enquiries conducted in a few hours to a more extensive process perhaps taking a number of months.
Can I appeal about the Police Investigation ?
You can appeal to the IPCC if you are unhappy with the outcome of the police investigation into your complaint. For more information, visit the IPCC website (www.ipcc.gov.uk).
Appealing against the way the police have handled your complaint
If you have made a complaint against the police and you are not happy with the way it has been handled, you may be able to appeal to the IPCC. The IPCC deals with three types of appeal:
- Appeals against a complaint not being recorded
- Appeals against the Local Resolution process
- Appeals against the police investigation into your complaint
For more information visit the IPCC website
