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The number of complaints made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was up five per cent in 2023/24 over the previous year, a new report has revealed.
According to the IOPC’s latest annual report on ‘Police complaints – statistics for England and Wales in 2023/24‘, the number of police complaints in England and Wales rose to 85,458.
Of these 32,511 were formally recorded under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002, a 3% increase on the previous year.
Meanwhile, forces took an average of six working days to contact a complainant after the complaint was made – one day longer than the previous year.
The report provides an overview of police complaints – identifying the volume and type of complaints made, and how forces handled them from first contact with the complainant to completion.
“We are working closely with forces to help ensure professional standards departments get complaint handling right first time.
“It is encouraging to see forces continued to contact complainants promptly. Early communication is vital and, while the average time taken rose slightly to six days, this is still a quick response and provides the opportunity to resolve complaints as quickly as possible.
“This year saw an 5% rise in the number of complaints logged, with more than half relating to the relatively everyday issues classed as ‘the delivery of duties and services’, rather than serious misconduct.
“There was a case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct in 26% of allegations investigated subject to special procedures, a small rise on last year.
“Despite the increase in complaints, the number that police forces finalised also rose. It is good to see that forces are managing to handle the volume, closing on average roughly the same amount of cases as they open. We look forward to continuing working with them to improve the process and achieve greater public confidence.”
Commenting on the report, IOPC Director General Rachel Watson.
Download the full ‘Police complaints – statistics for England and Wales in 2023/24‘ report for more information.
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