Police complaints law ‘overdue for review’ – Home Affairs

The committee intends to report to the States within the next year to update the police complaints law.

There have been a number of high profile complaints against officers and the police as a whole in recent times.

Home Affairs said it was aware that the current procedures had ‘limitations, which can cause frustration for complainants and the police’.

‘A review is needed to promote confidence in the complaints process and in the police generally and ensure that matters are dealt with proportionately,’ the committee said.

‘Where complainants are assured that their concerns are listened to and acted upon, opportunities for learning and service improvement are taken, and serious matters investigated.’

Complaints are currently addressed through the professional standards department in the local force but Home Affairs thinks that the role of the Police Complaints Commission should be expanded.

Home Affairs president Rob Prow said that the law was now 16 years old and ‘overdue for review’.

‘The police would acknowledge that it’s impossible for them to always get everything right, so it’s incredibly important that we have a robust process in place so that all parties can have confidence that complaints are addressed fairly. It’s important to both the committee and police for public trust to be maintained,’ he said.

Deputy Prow said that it was important that complaints were taken seriously, and legitimate complaints robustly investigated.

But he pointed out that there was no way to make an initial assessment of complaints to establish their validity, as there is in other jurisdictions, including the UK.