IPCC Recommendations

IPCC calls for improvements in how police forces treat complainants Sep 26, 2017 The IPCC has made a national recommendation that will enable more police officers to handle complaints from those with complex needs or vulnerabilities, including victims and survivors of child sex abuse, more effectively. The IPCC has asked all police forces to ensure that their professional standards officers call on the expertise of those trained to deal with complaints relating to child sex abuse, domestic or sexual violence or mental health concerns following an investigation into how Gloucestershire Police handled a complaint. While police forces often have specially trained staff to engage with victims and survivors in the reporting of crime, when these members of the public complain about the police, the professional standards departments (PSD) can lack the necessary background experience or skills to deal with these complaints appropriately. The IPCC investigation looked at how Gloucestershire Police PSD handled a complaint, whether there was any collusion between two officers, whether this alleged collusion may have amounted to corruption, the honesty of an officer and how an officer was supervised by their manager. The IPCC also looked into how Gloucestershire Police handled criminal allegations of sexual abuse. One officer was found to have a case to answer for misconduct for how he handled the complaint. Another officer, now retired, was found to have had a case to answer for gross misconduct for dishonesty had he still been serving. A third officer was found to have no case to answer in relation to the management of the investigation. IPCC Associate Commissioner Guido Liguori said: “This investigation revealed serious concerns about the way some PSDs may engage with complainants who, as a result of their circumstances, may have specific needs. “Each individual will have a unique set of circumstances, characteristics and vulnerabilities. Police forces need to ensure that officers and staff in PSD have the rights skills and experience, or have access to appropriately trained staff, to meet the needs of all complainants.” “Where guidance does not already exist, police forces should develop or adopt existing guidance that is already in use for victims of crime, such as domestic violence, to help decide upon the best way to engage with complainants.” The IPCC is unable to publish the full investigation report due to the nature of its content but has published the national recommendations here.