Police complaints performance varies

20 Nov 08
The performance of the Independent Police Complaints Commission varies widely across England, government auditors have found

21 November 2008

By Vivienne Russell 

The performance of the Independent Police Complaints Commission varies widely across England, government auditors have found.

The National Audit Office said that the North was the only one of the four IPCC regions to meet its targets of processing 80% of appeals within 25 working days in 2007/08. In contrast, London and the Southeast dealt with only 27% of appeals within the target time.

Overall, the commission's performance was found to have improved, despite an increased workload. But the NAO urged the body to do more to get feedback from the public on how their complaints had been handled.

NAO head Tim Burr said: 'The IPCC has an important, high-profile and sensitive role. It has made significant improvements in performance in the four years it has been in operation. But it faces challenges managing its increasing workload and in ensuring the quality of its work.'

According to the NAO's November 14 report, in 2007/08 the IPCC opened 100 new independent investigations into serious complaints made against the police. This is compared with the 31 investigations that were launched in 2004/05, the first year of the IPCC's operation.

The increase is partly due to the impact of human rights case law, which has expanded the range of investigations, and partly because of an improvement in public access to the police complaints system.

PFnov2008

Did you enjoy this article?

AddToAny

Top