FOI 308283
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 308283
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 29th January 2024. Please find below the response to your request:
- Please provide current officer guidance regarding people who wish to make complaints at police stations about officers.
- Please provide current officer guidance on prohibiting people from making complaints about officers at police stations.
- Please provide the number of complaints made against West Mercia Police officers in the most recent month for which data is available. Break down the number to show the method of complaint eg at a police station or online.
Reply
- Please provide current officer guidance regarding people who wish to make complaints at police stations about officers.
The statutory Guidance states that all organisations with responsibility for handling police complaints should ensure that members of the public can quickly and easily find information about how to make a complaint. Hence, we will try to accommodate this as best we can.
In Police stations and custody suites - posters and leaflets about the complaints system should be displayed or made available. Those in Police custody must be able to make a complaint whilst they are in custody if they want to.
Forces should ensure that members of the public who wish to make a complaint can do so in a variety of ways. This should include access to paper-based forms, online forms, an email address, telephone number and where it is practical a face-to-face meeting, however it does not specify that reporting complaints at a police station needs to be facilitated.
- Please provide current officer guidance on prohibiting people from making complaints about officers at police stations.
Statutory Guidance states that the IOPC recognises that there may be times when there is a need to manage contact with complainants, this can be when their behaviour is considered to have an adverse impact on staff welfare, resources, etc. In these circumstances access should be managed appropriately and as stated there is nothing in the statutory guidance which states that a complainant must be able to make a complaint at the front counter of a police station.
However, the force will always enable a complainant access to the complaints system, this may be via a specific process or in line with an appropriate communication strategy which ensures a relevant communication route, which must be adhered to, however this still enables the complainant to make a complaint.
- Please provide the number of complaints made against West Mercia Police officers in the most recent month for which data is available. Break down the number to show the method of complaint eg at a police station or online.
174 recorded complaints recorded 01/02/2024 to 29/02/2024 (inclusive) of which these were made by the following method
Email 9
Letter 8
Online 157