Sexual misconduct, and corruption among complaints against police
HUNDREDS OF ALLEGATIONS MADE
SEXUAL misconduct, discrimination and corruption were among hundreds of allegations made about Humberside Police last year.
The public made 1,406 complaints about Humberside Police in 2020/21, according to new Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
These are the first complaints statistics to be published since moving to a new system of recording them, under new regulations within the Policing and Crime Act, which came into force in February 2020.
Under the new system, any expression of dissatisfaction by a member of the public about the service they have 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 they were unhappy with the initial handling - with Humberside Police recording 1,264 formal complaints last year.
The total 1,406 complaints made to the force in 2020/21 covered 2,097 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 955 allegations.
Humberside Police also received one allegation relating to sexual conduct, which includes assaults and harassment, 51 relating to discriminatory behaviour, and 55 relating to abuse of position or corruption.
Information on outcomes isn’t broken down by police force. However, 1,958 allegations against Humberside Police were finalised (when the complainant is notified about the outcome and any planned action) in 2020/21.
Of these, 156 were dealt with informally. Of those dealt with as part of formally recorded complaints, 1,720 were resolved without investigation, and 82 were finalised after an investigation.
For Humberside Police, Detective Superintendent Matt Baldwin said: “Each year, we interact with 100,000s of people across our force area and the proportion of complaints against those interactions remains relatively low.
“In February 2020, complaint regulations changed, stipulating that police forces must now record every expression of dissatisfaction. We have complied completely with the spirit and direction of these regulations in our recording of complaints.
“Our Professional Standards department take all complaints submitted seriously and work to investigate or respond in a timely, appropriate and proportionate manner. Where someone wishes to have the response reviewed, these are done independently of the initial response by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner or the IOPC, where appropriate.
“Complaints can be a good tool for us to improve, as we are able to identify and address areas that may require guidance, training, investigation or action. If anyone believes they have an issue to raise, it is their right to complain and receive a response to this.
“The vast majority of our interactions with the public are appropriate and often receive positive feedback from the communities we serve.”
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 - 67% of those complained about were male and where their ethnicity was known, 81% were White.
Police across the country recorded 128 allegations of sexual assault and 23 allegations of sexual harassment last year.
There were also 3,764 reports of discriminatory behaviour, with the majority (2,375) relating to racial discrimination.
Police were also accused of obstructing justice 666 times and organisational corruption 190 times, while there were 634 allegations of abuse of position, including for financial purpose (53), for sexual purpose (52), and for the purpose of pursuing an inappropriate emotional relationship (35).
Police forces finalised 32,012 allegations in complaint cases that were handled informally, 45,205 allegations were handled formally but not investigated, and 6,533 allegations were investigated formally.
Among cases handled informally, 41% led to an explanation being given to the complainant, 31% of cases resulted in no further action, 7% led to an apology, and learning and reflective activity were the outcome of 14% of cases.
Of the 23,243 complaint cases handled formally in 2020/21, more than half (57%) had at least one allegation resulting in no further action being taken, with 18 complaint cases having at least one allegation resulting in either a misconduct meeting or hearing.
In more than 40% of complaint allegations finalised, the police took some action - this ranged from explanations being given (24%), learning outcomes (9%), referral to a reflective practice review process (4%), apologies (4%) or other outcomes (6%).
IOPC Director General Michael Lockwood said he was encouraged that widening the definition of a complaint and removing barriers to recording had led to a significant increase in complaints received, and that many are being resolved quickly with tailored responses such as explanations and apologies that address the concerns raised.
He said: “An effective complaints system, and independent oversight of it, is a vital part of securing public confidence in policing. 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.”