• Go into any police station where you will be seen by a senior officer on duty, probably an inspector or sergeant;
• Visit your local Citizens' Advice Bureau, who can advise you whether you have grounds for a complaint;
• Contact your solicitor or Member of Parliament
• Get someone else to put forward your complaint (eg, friend, relative or you may wish to contact one of the gateway organisations listed);
• Write a full account to the force's Professional Standards Department:
  
  Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Professional Standards Dept.
  Biggleswade Police Station
  Station Road
  Biggleswade
  SG18 8AL
  
  Tel: 01234 841212
• Write directly to the Independent Police Complaints Commission:

 

The Independent Police Complaints Commission
90 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6BH
Tel: 08453 002002 (Local rate)

Fax: 020 7404 0430

• E-Mail your complaint to the Police Standards Department - psu@herts.pnn.police.uk

 

What should the complaint say?

Your complaint, in addition to your name, address and contact details should include:

• When the incident happened
• What happened
• What was said or done
• Whether there were any witnesses
• Where the witnesses can be contacted
• What proof exists of any damage or injury

The role of the Professional Standards Department

The Professional Standards Department investigates or oversees all complaints made about the conduct of police officers and polie staff, manages Direction & Control complaints and investigates internal Misconduct. The department also has an anti-corruption remit and works with other agencies on corruption matters.

The role of the Police Authority

The Hertfordshire Police Authority monitors the complaints process to ensure compliance with legislation.

The role of the IPCC

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a statutory body which was established in 2004. Its purpose is to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for dealing with complaints or allegations of misconduct against any person serving with the police in Engand and Wales. They aim to increase public confidence by demonstrating the independence, accountability and integrity of the complaints system and so contribute to the effectiveness of the police service as a whole. They determine the level of investigation which can vary from an oversight of the investigation to conducting the enquiry themselves.

How the complaint can be dealt with

In many cases complaints are forwarded to the policing Area subject of the complaint for a local manager to make contact with you and to instigate initial enquiries. Dependent on the issues of concern it may be appropriate for this to be dealt with as a Local Resolution which entails agreeing how the complaint can be resolved, possibly with an associated action plan and usually within a 28-day period. It is intended that Local Resolutions will provide a speedy conclusion to issues and that this will lead to increased public confidence and better community engagement. At the end of this process there is a right of appeal to the IPCC and you will be provided with a leaflet explaining how to go about this.

Where the Local resolution process is not possible or agreed then the complaint can be fully investigated by a member of the Professional Standards Department (120 days are allocated). A report outlining findings is then provided which can also be subject of appeal to the IPCC.

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