288 officers in Staffordshire faced complaints

NO ACTION WAS DEEMED NECESSARY IN MOST CASES

ALMOST 300 Staffordshire police officers faced complaints made against them by members of the public last year – but no action was deemed necessary in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Home Office figures show that a total of 139 complaints, involving 501 allegations, were made against 288 officers during the year ending March 2021, all by members of the public who came into contact with the force.

Not one allegation resulted in an officer being referred to proceedings, which is the formal process to address complaints after it is determined there is a case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct.

In respect of four allegations, a reflective practice review process was set in motion, which is designed to deal with allegations of performance or conduct that falls short of public and police expectations but is not serious enough to amount to misconduct.

Two officers retired or resigned. Another 10 allegations resulted in other sanctions, including learning from reflection, management action, or advice, and the outcomes of 46 allegations are not known.

No action was taken following 439 allegations (96 per cent of all allegations where the result is known). The

Home Office does not reveal if complaints against any of the Staffordshire police officers were serious enough to result in dismissal.

A spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police said: “Public confidence in our officers and staff is of the utmost importance to us and we take all complaints extremely seriously. We expect the highest standards of professional behaviour from our officers, staff and volunteers at all times.

“We understand that as a learning organisation there is a constant need to review our processes to ensure that we deliver the best possible service to our communities and address areas for improvement quickly and with due diligence.

“We continually look to improve our complaint handling procedures and work closely with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to identify any areas for development.

“Our complaints are regularly scrutinised both internally and externally by independent panels and also by the office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. This is to ensure the integrity and transparency of our investigations and also to maintain the drive to improve our processes.

“The public can access our complaints system via our website, in writing or by email, by telephone or to a member of our front office staff or to an officer in person.”