> > > Appeal against outcome of investigation

Appealing against the police investigation into your complaint

If you have made a complaint to the police and it has been investigated by them, the police should write to you to tell you;

How the complaint will be investigated
What co-operation they require from you
How a decision will be reached and what action will be taken at the end of the investigation.

The police should also tell you about the progress during the investigation. At the end of the investigation the police should send you a letter or report which;

Gives details about the findings of the investigation
Says whether or not they plan to take any action as a result of the investigation
Says what that action will be
Tells you about your right to appeal to the IPCC

You can appeal to the IPCC about the outcome of an investigation in the following circumstances:

You have not received enough information about the findings of the investigation or what action the police plan to take.
- In many cases, the police can give you the information above by sending you a copy of the investigating officer’s report.
You disagree with the findings of the investigation. Reasons may include:
- Some witnesses were not traced and interviewed
- Some parts of the complaint were not investigated
- The evidence does not support the outcome
You disagree with the action the police plan to take as a result of the investigation. Reasons could include:
- You think the penalty to be brought against the officer or member of police staff is not severe enough
- You would like to receive an apology from the police about an issue which has been identified by the investigation
- You do not think the police have done enough to prevent the same thing happening again to someone else

You cannot appeal to the IPCC if the investigation into your complaint has been managed or independently carried out by the IPCC.

Please note the IPCC MUST receive your appeal within 28 days of the date of the letter you have received from the police telling you that your complaint has not been recorded. This includes the time your appeal spends in the post.

If you do not send your appeal to the IPCC within 28 days, the IPCC does not have to consider your appeal. The IPCC may be able to extend this time period if you have very special circumstances and you can fully explain your reasons for asking for an extension, or if the police failed to tell you what they are going to do about your complaint.

Get help opening pdfs with Adobe Acrobat Online Tools

Appealing against the police investigation into your complaint

You can appeal to the IPCC about the outcome of an investigation in the following circumstances:

Related Topics