Handling a complaint as a police officer

The IPCC's Statutory Guidance for the police service sets out the minimum standards expected of forces in handling complaints. It also sets out the four key outcomes the IPCC expects from the new system:

• greater access to the system
• increased confidence of police officers and police staff
• proportionate and timely complaint investigations
• evidence of lessons learned from complaints fed back into operational policing

The guidance contains practical suggestions in which the police can make the system work better and learn from complaints. It was developed in consultation with police organisations, as well as voluntary and community organisations. The guidance came into effect on 1 December 2005.

The guidance covers:

• the ethos of the complaints system  
• setting and monitoring standards
• application of the guidance
• how the police can make the complaints system work better
  • telling people about the complaints system and how to use it  
  • recording complaints as part of customer service  
  • resolving more complaints locally  
  • carrying out effective investigations  
  • recognising the right to information  
  • using the IPCC as a touchstone of public interest  
  • appeals to the IPCC  
  • applications from police forces for dispensing with complaints or discontinuing investigations