Complaints: Themes and Trends.

Date of Meeting: 9 April 2024
Decision of PCC: Assured

Rationale:

As stated in the Policing Protocol 2023, the PCC has the legal power and duty to monitor all complaints made against officers and staff. He also has responsibility for complaints against the Chief Constable.

The Chief Constable is responsible to the public and accountable to the PCC for ensuring that the PCC is kept informed.

Information provided should enable the PCC to discharge his statutory obligations around complaints in a regular, meaningful and timely way.

The PCC has adopted the ‘Model 3’ complaints handling process. However, it is still important that the PCC fulfils his statutory duty.

Questions:

In seeking assurance about complaints themes and trends, the following questions were
asked:

1. Does the Force implement lessons learnt from complaints and particularly where a
   recorded complaint (under schedule 3) has been determined as ‘not acceptable’?
2. Delivery of duties and services and police powers, policies and procedures are the two
   areas where most complaints are received. How does the Force embed findings from
   complaints into learning for new and existing staff?
3. Does the Force have a robust and embedded Reflective Practice Review Process?

Meeting Outcome:

The PCC was assured by the evidence submitted by the Force.

The PCC commented on the great work the Force was undertaking. He acknowledged that the challenge for the Force would come in terms of future proofing