Independent Office for Police Conduct: Complaints
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to prevent abuse of the Independent Office for Police Conduct regime in relation to (a) politically-motivated complaints, and (b) complaints which do not relate to the current policing responsibilities of the combined authority mayor.
Answered by Sarah Jones
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has a limited role in the complaints system in relation to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and elected politicians exercising PCC functions, such as combined authority mayors.
Such complaints are dealt with in the first instance by local Police and Crime Panels, which are responsible for handling all complaints about PCCs. They can refer a complaint about a PCC (or mayor with PCC functions) to the IOPC only where there is an indication that a criminal offence has been committed. Handling should include local arrangements to rule out vexatious or politically motived complaints. The IOPC determines whether it is necessary for it to investigate such referrals.
We expect to set out successor arrangements for the scrutiny and oversight of police governance in the forthcoming Police Reform Bill.
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