What is Local Resolution?

If you are unhappy with the way a police officer or member of police staff has treated you, you can make a complaint.

Sometimes the best way to deal with a complaint is for the officer or staff member's supervisor or manager to talk with you so that they can understand what your complaint is about and take any appropriate action to put things right. The manager may also want to take the opportunity to explain what has happened from the perspective of the police officer or staff member involved. Many complaints can be dealt with locally by managers in the police service using this approach.

This way of dealing with complaints is called Local Resolution. Local Resolution means solving, explaining, clearing up or settling your complaint directly with you. It will not result in misconduct proceedings being taken against an officer or member of police staff and the complaint will be closed after the process is completed.

Resolving your complaint locally can help to improve the service your community receives from the police.

Why the IPCC supports Local Resolution

The IPCC believes strongly that Local Resolution can be a proportionate and effective way of resolving many complaints. It is also the simplest and most flexible way to:

• tell the police what happened
• find out why it happened
• make sure action is taken to deal with the problem or to prevent the same thing happening to someone else in the future
• allow someone to say sorry, if appropriate.
  

What can be locally resolved?

Some complaints are too serious to be resolved locally. Local Resolution is considered appropriate only if the actions of the police officers or police staff being complained about would not result in criminal or misconduct proceedings even if it were proved.

If your complaint is not suitable for Local Resolution, someone will be appointed to look into it in a different way.