Information
FOI 24032022-1 – Complaints against Police – Risk Assessment
Question
Dear Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner,
With the fairly new role of the PCC in adopting a model where they now deal with complaints there are concerns that these complaints are being dealt with by customer service staff who may be good at dealing with the public but have little or no experience in policing and appear to be taken advantage of by those complained of within Northamptonshire police.
Officers complained of are being contacted directly by customer service staff from the OPFCC and asked questions.
From cases we have reviewed it is apparent that there are allegations of misconduct including criminal matters which do not appear to have been identified by the customer service team.
Police officers will not at that stage have received a discipline notice advising them of their rights or have been cautioned.
- Has a risk assessment been conducted to take into account a police officer alleging an abuse of process as a defence to any subsequent investigation against the officer by the Professional standards Department?
- If so please provide a copy of any relevant documents as to the extent of any interaction / boundary between police officers and customer staff who have received a complaint from a member of the public. To avoid confusion, any expression of dissatisfaction is a complaint.
Answer
- Has a risk assessment been conducted to take into account a police officer alleging an abuse of process as a defence to any subsequent investigation against the officer by the Professional standards Department?
No information held – The Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) and Northamptonshire Police are two separate legal entities. Information regarding operational policing matters, including PSD investigations into conduct, is the responsibility of Northamptonshire Police, therefore the OPFCC does not hold any of the information you have requested.
The OPFCC do not conduct any investigations in relation to complaints about officers. Where complaints are not suitable for service recovery they are referred directly to the Force’s Professional Standards Department in line with the IOPC’s Statutory Guidance on the police complaints system. A copy of the guidance can be downloaded at:
- If so please provide a copy of any relevant documents as to the extent of any interaction / boundary between police officers and customer staff who have received a complaint from a member of the public. To avoid confusion, any expression of dissatisfaction is a complaint.
N/A
