We will check to see if your appeal has been made within 28 calendar days from the date of the force’s decision letter.
If your appeal is within the 28 days we will contact the police to request the background information concerning your complaint. Once we have received this information, which may take several weeks, we will assess your appeal, make our final decision and inform you of the outcome, in writing.
If your appeal was not received within 28 days, we will write to you to give you the opportunity to explain why. Depending on your response, we may decide that your appeal is not valid and we will not consider it any further. We can only consider late appeals in exceptional circumstances.
No. The IPCC does not represent the interests or act on behalf of the police or complainants; we are an independent and impartial regulator.
As we review your appeal it may be necessary for us to speak to the police or yourself to seek further documents or information.
The role of the IPCC within the appeals process is not to re-investigate the complaint. Our role is to consider whether the findings and outcome of the investigation are appropriate and whether you have been provided with sufficient information regarding the investigation. We will not interview the police or you as part of this process.
A casework manager will look at the available papers and supporting evidence relating to your complaint and the subsequent investigation. Having read this information they will then make an assessment in relation to the below issues:
Is there a case to answer?
Your appeal will either be “upheld” or “not upheld”. If we believe the police have not made the correct decisions we can uphold your complaint. The IPCC can give any directions it considers appropriate for the future handling of the investigation, the report, and the outcome for the officer(s). We will tell you about the instructions we have given the police and explain what happens next.
If your appeal is not upheld, we will write to you and explain why the IPCC did not uphold your appeal.
No. If we uphold your complaint against the force, we may highlight what action is required to remedy the situation; however, we cannot tell the force or an officer to apologise to you. In some cases the force concerned may apologise voluntarily.
There is no appeal right against our assessment of your appeal. When you make your appeal this is your opportunity to provide us with all the necessary information to be considered - you cannot provide additional information for consideration after the 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.
You should be aware that IPCC casework decisions are final. This means that any decisions made by the Commission and communicated to the parties involved can only usually be overturned by the courts through the judicial review process. You should seek your own legal advice if you intend to pursue this course of action.
If you are not happy with the service you have received from the IPCC, or have any expression of dissatisfaction, you can make your complaint to the
IPCC Internal Investigations Unit who will respond to your complaint accordingly.
We hope this leaflet has been useful, if our role is not what you expected and upon reflection, you want to withdraw your appeal, please contact us as soon as possible.
Independent Police Complaints Commission: 90 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6BH
E-mail: enquiries@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk
Minicom: 0207 404 0431
Main switchboard: 0207 166 3000
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