Fall in police complaints

COMPLAINTS against Cheshire Constabulary have fallen over the last year according to a standards watchdog.

The Independent Office Of Police Conduct (IOPC) said the number was down by 12% in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.

There were 8% fewer allegations against the force also, dropping from 316 per 1,000 employees to 284.

Cheshire police received 524 complaints in total in 2017-18.

The IOPC also reported that the force was quicker to respond to complaints and resolve them.

On average, it took Cheshire Constabulary 90 working days to investigate an allegation, compared to 173 nationally.

For allegations finalised by ‘local resolution’, it took an average of 54 working days to resolve the allegation, compared to 72 days nationally.

The IOPC said that police handling of complaints was inconsistent around the country with informal resolution rates varying between 10% and 75%, and 44% in Cheshire.

Despite falling numbers of complaints, the IOPC said the drop ‘masks wide discrepancies in the way police forces handle them’ in different force areas.

Nationally, 39% of complaints against the police related to the ‘other neglect or failure in duty’ category.

The second next largest group were grievances for ‘incivility, impoliteness and intolerance’, accounting for 12% of complaints.

An IOPC spokesman said work is under way to define the complaint categories ‘in a more meaningful way’, with changes due to come into effect in 2019.

There is also due to be a shift towards less serious complaints being dealt with outside the formal system, but still captured and logged for IOPC monitoring, and to be used to direct police improvements.

Following the report’s publication, Amanda Rowe, IOPC regional director, said: “When these statistics are published, it’s important to look beyond the numbers and remember that behind every complaint there is someone who is unhappy with their experience or the service they’ve received from the police.

“It’s vital for public confidence that forces across our region use this data, and most importantly the experiences of the individual complainants, to continually improve the service they provide.

“This information can also help police forces to highlight any common trends from local communities that they may need to respond to.

“We are hopeful that the changes coming through next year will make the system much more consistent and transparent.

“This will benefit the public and the police service.”