FOI 2452 Complaints Procedures Against Officers
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 15 April 2010. Please find below the response to your request:
This FOI request relates to a possible management tool that operates within your Professional Standards Department, as opposed to any formal national policy or procedure.
I understand that forces operate a system which flags up cases where police officers have been subject to three or more public complaints within a specific period of time (say 12 months). This automatically triggers Professional Standards to look into the officer's conduct in more detail, in order to identify training or performance related issues. Some forces appear to refer to this as "special measures". I am aware this is an informal process, and may not be implemented within each force.
Please disclose under the FOI Act:
1. A copy of any written procedures you may hold for this or a similar process within your Professional Standards Department.
2. Any recorded information as to how your police force deals with officers who've had three or more complaints made against them in the last 12 months.
3. The number of officers who have been subject to this process in the last 12 months.
4. The result of the process in each case, i.e. did the officer receive further training, did they receive a warning, or no further action.
5. The details of the complaints made against each officer which triggered the management process. If you cannot provide the exact details of the complaints then please disclose the recorded information which related to the nature of the complaint(s).
Reply:
Important Guidance
It is important to realise when reading the responses below, that the process is informal and local to West Mercia Police only. Serious consideration needs to be given to the result interpretations as they would not be comparable between forces and that care needs to be taken when drawing conclusions from the results.
1. No recorded information held. To explain further, there are no written procedures. However there is an informal process where an officer is flagged up on a recording system as having three or more cases in a rolling 12 month period. The reactive unit then research that officer and the complaints, passing to a division if there is any concern. The Professional Standards Department has previously carried out 'interventions' in such cases as these with officers, or divisions have implemented action plans for the officers.
2. Please refer to the answer to question 1, which also applies to this request.
3. 117 Officers
4.
| Outcome | Number of Cases when Officer has been dealt with |
| Officer was discussed with Division and monitored | 3 |
| Officer subject to action plan and monitored by Division | 1 |
| Officer subject of local intervention | 1 |
| Officer reviewed by PSD Inspector and Sergeants and no issues identified that need further management intervention. | 178 |
| Total | 183 |
5. Please see the attachment below.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by our Professional Standards Department is as accurate and comprehensive as possible.