Police officers

The IPCC can supervise, run and, where necessary, conduct investigations into complaints or allegations of misconduct in England and Wales against the police. It has stronger powers than its predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

It also has a wider responsibility to monitor the way complaints are handled by local police services. This is called its guardianship role.

Part of this role involves making sure that the lessons learned from the work the IPCC does are fed back to the police service so it can improve the way it deals with complaints.

What does this mean for the police?

• Most complaints are investigated by the local police. However, local forces are required to meet IPCC standards stated in the Statutory Guidance.
• A number of investigations into serious issues (mandatory referrals) are run by the IPCC's own investigators. These may include incidents such as a death in custody.
• IPCC investigators, in certain circumstances, have full police powers and rights of access to premises, documents and other evidence when requested.
• A person making a complaint has the right to appeal to the IPCC if they feel they have not been given sufficient information by the police or they are unhappy with the outcome of an investigation by the police.
• People other than victims can make complaints. Anybody who has been ‘adversely affected’ by the incident - which could include a witness - can register a complaint.
• There is a legal obligation to keep complainants informed of the progress of an investigation, which may include giving complainants a copy of the investigating officer’s report.