Home can’t say how much spent to pay off police complainants

But it has asked Guernsey Police to publish as much information as it can about the figures.

Home Affairs president Rob Prow originally asked for more time to reply to Deputy John Dyke’s question in the States last month about how many complaints had been received against police officers this year, and how many had led to financial settlements and at what cost.

Deputy Prow later circulated a written reply to all deputies, but it included no figures.

‘The question appears to conflate separate issues – the matter of police complaints and civil claims against police officers,’ he said.

‘In 2024 to date, 45 police complaints have been received and registered. These complaints, some of which will still be under consideration, may be subject to a variety of outcomes.’

The police complaints law is concerned with the conduct of individual officers and the range of potential outcomes does not include financial compensation.

Deputy Prow said that his committee had a limited statutory role in dealing with some police complaints and was not party to proceedings against individual officers.

‘So not all of the information that you seek is available to the committee,’ he replied to Deputy Dyke.

It has asked Police for details ‘where appropriate’.

Financial claims made against police officers brought as a result of their actions while on duty must be taken through the courts, rather than through the police complaints law process, in which the courts play no role.

It is known that one claim for damages totalling about £12,000 was settled only when police officers agreed a deal with the plaintiffs after the States and its insurers had paid officers’ legal bills of more than £250,000 over a two-year period.

There have been at least seven similar cases lodged with the courts this year, with a variety of outcomes.

Recently-retired police chief Ruari Hardy claimed last year that the force was under an ‘organised attack’ from malicious complainants.