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Appealing if your complaint was received by a police force before 22 November 2012

The information on this page relates to complaints received by the police force before 22 November 2012.

If your complaint was received on or after 22 November 2012, your appeal will be handled under a different system.

Please click here for the information you will need.

Please note, as stated in the letter you received acknowledging receipt of your appeal, we are currently experiencing a significant volume of work. Therefore, it will take up to 26 weeks for your appeal to be completed.

We are currently processing appeals received before 05 November 2012. We are doing all we can to manage our appeals work effectively and apologise for any delay you may experience.

All correspondence and supporting documentation received by the IPCC's Casework and Customer Services Directorate will be copied electronically. The paperwork will then be securely destroyed after 14 days unless it is requested that originals should be retained, in which case they will be returned by standard delivery post.

How to appeal to the IPCC

You may be able to appeal to the IPCC if you have made a complaint about the police and you are not happy with the way it was handled.

The IPCC is responsible for the way complaints about the police are handled. It is also responsible for considering appeals made by members of the public about their complaints and can, if appropriate, direct police forces to change their decisions or to take further action.

The IPCC is an independent organisation and its final decisions cannot be overruled except by a court of law.

What can I appeal about?

How can I make an appeal?

Use the appropriate appeals form using the links above.

The IPCC must receive your appeal within 28 days of the date of the letter you have received from the police telling you about the outcome of the local investigation or the decision not to record your complaint. This includes the time your appeal spends in the post.

The IPCC must receive your appeal against Local Resolution within 28 days of the date on which you think the police did not follow the process you agreed with them. This includes the time your appeal spends in the post. Completing your appeal online avoids the need for the form to be in the postal system and will speed up the process.

How will the IPCC deal with my appeal?

Once we have received your appeal form, we will send you a letter to acknowledge receipt.

We will also contact the relevant police force or authority to tell them you have appealed. The police force will be sent a copy of your appeal and we will ask for any information they have about your complaint or subsequent appeal.

Once we have received all the information we will assess your appeal and make a decision about it.

Appeal outcomes

If your appeal is upheld, we will instruct the chief police officer or police authority about what they should do about your complaint. They must follow these instructions. We will tell you in writing about the instructions we have given and explain what happens next.

If your appeal is not upheld, we will write to you explaining how and why we made this decision.

What happens if I don’t agree with the IPCC’s decision?

You cannot appeal against our assessment of your appeal. When you appeal to the IPCC, this is your opportunity to provide us with all the necessary information to be considered – you cannot provide additional information for consideration after the appeal decision is made.

If you have any questions or need more information about the appeal decision please contact us so that we can explain the reasons for the decision and clarify any queries you have.

IPCC decisions are final and we cannot reverse them. If you are seeking to reverse a case decision you should seek legal advice. Any decisions made by the IPCC can only be overturned by the courts through the judicial review process.

What if I need more advice?

You can contact a local advice organisation, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also talk to a legal advisor.

Get in touch with the IPCC for advice about the appeals process, if you have difficulty filling in the online or paper form, or if you need to obtain the form in another language or format.