Complaints against North officers fall
Sep 24 2009 by Sophie Doughty, The Journal
COMPLAINTS against North East police forces are falling.
But hundreds of people still make allegations against officers every year.
Figures released by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) show that complaints by the public against Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary fell slightly in the financial year 2008/09.
A total of 576 complaints were received by Northumbria Police, a drop of 4% compared to the previous year. And is County Durham 159 complained about officers, which is a decrease of 18%, the second-largest drop in England and Wales.
In the Northumbria force area, which covers Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, the 576 complaints contained 1,173 allegations The majority 23% related to neglect or failure in duty, 17% were about incivility, impoliteness and intolerance. Of these 43% were formally investigated and 30% dealt with by way of local resolution, where a police supervisor gives the complainant an explanation or apology.
Meanwhile in Durham, the 159 complaints contained 289 allegations, almost identical to the previous year. Most allegations, 28%, related to neglect or failure in duty, and incivility, impoliteness and intolerance, made-up 21%.
Of these 29% of allegations were formally investigated and 50% dealt with by way of local resolution. Of the allegations that were investigated, a total of 72, none were substantiated.
Gary Garland, IPCC Commissioner for the North East, said: “The complaint figures give a clear indication of what areas of policing concern the public most. It is about perceptions that officers have failed do their job properly or have been rude or impolite in their dealings with the public.”
Nationally during 2008/09 complaints rose 8% from the previous year to 31,259. In total, the number of complaints has risen by approximately 8,000 since 2004/05 when the IPCC first became responsible for collecting the data.
As in previous years most complaints are about ‘neglect of duty’ (24%) and ‘incivility’ (21%), essentially being rude and late. The proportion of all complaints that are substantiated is 10%.
IPCC Chair Nick Hardwick said: “People accept things will sometimes go wrong and on these occasions they do not necessarily want to see an officer punished. But what they do want is for the mistake to be acknowledged and not repeated, put right if possible and an apology or explanation given.”
He added: “The overall increase in the number of complaints reflects growing confidence in the system and more consistent complaint recording standards.”
