'Postcode lottery' in handling of police complaints, MPs say

Wednesday, 07, Apr 2010 12:03

By Sarah Garrod.

A report from MPs has said there is a 'postcode lottery' in the handling of complaints against police behaviour.

The home affairs committee report also said that those in charge of handling police complaints were "failing to inspire the trust" of complainants.

The committee said the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) "lacks clear measures of success and lacks a perception of impartiality". The IPCC - which investigates complaints made by the public into how incidents, such as the death of Ian Tomlinson, are handled by police - has a budget of £35 million a year.

The committee found that "while the commission has achieved some tangible and high-profile successes since its formation, the IPCC fails to inspire confidence in the independence of the process".

"Investigations are handled in an unsatisfactory and non-transparent manner and the length of IPCC-managed investigations - up to 269 working days in some cases - does little to increase trust in the system," the MPs added.

The committee found that in 99 cases out of 100, and despite the existence of an independent, statutory body, complaints made against police behaviour will be investigated by the police. They also highlighted concerns that using ex-police officers to investigate complaints to the IPCC brought into question its impartiality, adding that "a 'postcode lottery' currently exists in the police's handling of complaints".

Keith Vaz MP, chair of the committee said: "It is clear to us that the IPCC requires reform of some kind. The IPPC's statutory duty is to increase public confidence in the police complaints system in England and Wales.

"We do not see how by failing to put complainants at the heart of the investigation process, using ex-police officers to investigate their former force, and by passively allowing a 'postcode lottery' in the handling of complaints by local police forces to exist, the commission achieves this task. We hope that a successor committee will look at these issues in the detail they deserve and urge the reforms that the IPCC sorely needs."

In response to today's report, IPCC chair Nick Hardwick said: "We recognise there are areas where the performance of the police complaints system could improve but we do not believe the report presents a balanced picture of the IPCC.

"A fairer picture would acknowledge what has already been achieved whilst recognising much more still needs to be done."