15 June 2005
For Immediate Release

IPCC Deputy Chair John Wadham comments on Metropolitan Police complaints figure

"The 14 per cent increase in complaints against the Metropolitan Police Service must not be written off as bad news."

John Wadham, Deputy Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission said today.

"It is likely to be generated by increasing confidence in the new complaints system.   The IPCC will be publishing statistics for our first 12 months later this year but anecdotally we know there have been rises in other parts of England and Wales.

"The new complaints system is friendlier and more accessible for the public.  Hopefully more people in London and elsewhere no longer regard making a complaint against police as a waste of time.    

"The Metropolitan Police have been training their front line officers how to take down complaints and they have had their own publicity campaign.    At the IPCC we now take complaints by telephone and has also been actively meeting organisations throughout the country to explain how complaints can be lodged.

"The issue is not the number of complaints made.  It is the way those complaints are investigated and how the lessons learnt can be used to improve the police service we all need."

-ends-

Notes for editors

• The complaints figures were produced by the Metropolitan Police for the Metropolitan Police Authority.   There was a rise from 4,344 complaints in 2003/4 to 5,100 in 2004/5.
• The IPCC is the body with overall responsibility for the police complaints system in England and Wales. It has the task of increasing public confidence in the system and aims to make complaints investigations more open, timely, proportionate and fair. The 17 IPCC Commissioners guarantee the independence of the IPCC and by law can never have served as police officers.
• Since April 1 2005 the IPCC has used its powers to begin 11 independent and 45 managed investigations into the most serious complaints against the police. It has also set new standards for police forces to improve the way the public's complaints are handled. Since 1 April 2004 it has upheld 157 appeals (out of 485 valid appeals) by the public about the way their complaint was dealt with by the local force.
• The IPCC is committed to getting closer to the communities it serves.  It has regional offices in Cardiff, Leicestershire, London and Manchester plus a sub office in Wakefield.  Commissioners are regionally based and supported by 77 independent investigators, as well as case workers and specialist support staff.

The IPCC web site is constantly updated at www.ipcc.gov.uk or members of the public can contact the IPCC on 08453 002 002

For further information please contact:

Richard Offer, Head of Media

Tel: 020 7166 3214

Fax: 020 7404 0430

Mob/out of hours: 07717 851 157

Email: Richard.Offer@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk