Complaints against police now subject to a ‘filter’
COMPLAINTS against police officers are now going to be subject to a ‘filter’ before they may reach a full investigation.
The Home Affairs Committee’s move comes into effect immediately, at a time when police are facing what they fear is a concerted campaign of complaints against individual officers and the force generally.
Police will now apply a filter to each complaint considered, bringing the island into line with all other jurisdictions in the British Isles.
It said this would help to avoid ‘repetitious, vexatious and transparently unfounded complaints undermining the system’.
‘Recent attempts to abuse the complaints system have made the gaps in the current legislation very clear to all involved,’ said Home Affairs president Rob Prow.
‘The Police Complaints Law came into force in July 2011, and has now been in place for some 13 years. In that time, this committee, its predecessors, and its independent partners in the Police Complaints Commission have all identified gaps in the legislation, and improvements that should be made.’
The filter will give the ‘appropriate authority’, which could be senior officers through to the Home Affairs committee itself, the power to assess a complaint based on initial evidence.
It will also give the authority the powers to review existing evidence secured following receipt of the complaint as part of that initial assessment – before being further investigated under the provisions of the law – which the previous regulations did not allow. The independent Police Complaints Commission must agree with this initial assessment. If it does not, an investigation must take place.
Home Affairs said that public confidence in the police was underpinned by an effective and transparent complaints process. The former system allowed for repeat complaints to be made, all of which had to be investigated, which could ‘flood’ the system and delay the investigation of legitimate complaints.
It said it would also give officers greater confidence in the process and ensure fairness.
The change has been introduced with immediate effect by regulation.
‘The filter will ensure the process is proportionate, providing for an informed assessment of alleged conduct that enables complaints without foundation to be dealt with effectively at an early procedural stage,’ Deputy Prow added.
