Complaints statistics affected by pandemic
SEXUAL misconduct, discrimination and corruption were among allegations made about Devon and Cornwall Police last year.
The public made 1,619 complaints about Devon and Cornwall Police in 2020/21, according to Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) figures.
These are the first complaints statistics to be published since moving to a new system of recording complaints, under new regulations within the Policing and Crime Act, which came into force in February last year.
IOPC director general Michael Lockwood said: “Now, more than ever, the public need assurance that policing is listening to their concerns and taking action to put things right. They want to know that there are checks and balances to police powers and there is accountability and learning when things go wrong.”
The total 1,619 complaints made to the force in 2020/21 covered 3,531 allegations. The most common cause for complaint was delivery of duties and services, such as decisions made by police or their actions after contact with the public, covering 1,943 allegations.
Devon and Cornwall Police also received two allegations relating to sexual conduct, which includes assaults and harassment; 77 relating to discriminatory behaviour; and 33 relating to abuse of position or corruption.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Till, from the force’s Professional Standards Department, suggested that the figures could be skewed by the pandemic. He said: “The force received a significant increase in complaints during the second Covid-19 national lockdown, which was towards the end of this reporting period, and involved police officers enforcing extraordinary and unprecedented restrictions on people’s freedom.
“Between January and March, 2021, 1,043 allegations – almost a third of all allegations recorded in the 12-month period – were received. We strive to ensure that matters are investigated to a high standard and therefore complaints can take some time to resolve.
“We were still investigating many of these complaints when this reporting period ended and this is why the number of allegations not finalised was at a higher level. Since this time, the number of complaints made to the force have returned to expected levels.”
Under the new system, any expression of dissatisfaction by a member of the public about the service received from a police force is logged as a complaint. These can either be dealt with informally, or recorded formally if the allegation is more serious, the complainant wants it recorded or was unhappy with the initial handling.
Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 858 formal complaints last year. However, 2,505 allegations against the force were finalised (when the complainant is notified about the outcome and any planned action) in 2020/21. Of these, 996 were dealt with informally. Of those dealt with as part of formally recorded complaints, 1,426 were resolved without investigation, and 83 were finalised after an investigation.
Across England and Wales, 67,732 complaint cases were logged in 2020/21, and 36,365 of these were recorded formally, covering 109,151 allegations. A total of 38,982 people serving with the police were subject to a complaint.