ACPO comment on IPCC complaints statistics

ACPO lead for complaints and misconduct, Deputy Chief Constable John Feavyour, said:

"The job of a police officer is unique in society, with officers routinely placing themselves in dangerous and stressful situations to keep the public safe. The public rightly expects high standards from the police service and police officers and the challenge for us as a service and as officers is to maintain high levels of professionalism during a period when we are being asked to do much more with fewer resources available.

“These figures show us that on average one in five officers and staff will be the subject of a complaint over the course of a year. Nearly half of these complaints relate to incivility or lateness of officers and this is still of concern. The service cannot improve on this without feedback from the public and I want to encourage members of the public to continue to inform their police force where they consider an officer's conduct to be unsatisfactory or improper so that action can be taken where appropriate.

“Police officers have thousands of interactions with members of the public each day and these are of vital importance in maintaining the trust and confidence of the public in the police service. The vast majority of these are positive and they are indispensable to the police in helping to keep local communities safe."

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk