| Independent Police Complaints Commission | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Abbreviation | IPCC |
| Formation | April 2004 |
| Legal status | Non-departmental public body |
| Purpose/focus | Complaints about the English and Welsh police forces |
| Location | 90 High Holborn, London, UK & four other regional offices |
| Region served | England & Wales |
| Membership | 18 commissioners |
| Chairman | Nick Hardwick |
| Main organ | The Commission |
| Parent organization | Home Office |
| Website | IPCC |
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.
Contents |
Role
It can also elect to manage or supervise the police investigation into a particular complaint and will independently investigate the most serious cases itself. While some of the IPCC's investigators are former police officers, the commissioners themselves cannot have worked for the police by law.[1]
Since April 2006 it has taken on responsibility for similar, serious complaints against HM Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency in England and Wales. In April 2008, it additionally took on responsibility for serious complaints against UK Border Agency staff.
Powers
The statutory powers and responsibilities of the commission were set out by the Police Reform Act 2002, and it came into existence on 1 April 2004, replacing the Police Complaints Authority. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), funded by the Home Office, but by law entirely independent of the police, interest groups and political parties and whose decisions on cases are free from government involvement.[2]
Since April 1 2004 the IPCC has used its powers to begin 171 independent and 533 managed investigations (as at 29 August 2007) into the most serious complaints against the police. It has set standards for police forces to improve the way the public's complaints are handled. The Commission also handles appeals by the public about the way their complaint was dealt with by the local force.
Structure
The IPCC claims to be committed to getting closer to the communities it serves. Its Commissioners and staff are based in IPCC regional offices in Cardiff, Coalville, London and Sale plus a sub office in Wakefield.
The IPCC was given the task of increasing public confidence in the complaint systems. It aims to make investigations more open, timely, proportionate and fair.
The IPCC has its own independent investigators, giving it the choice of supervising police investigations into serious complaints or independently investigating them itself. In the vast majority of cases it simply passes on complaints to the Professional Standards Division of the force the complaint is about.
IPCC Investigators are not police officers. However, IPCC Investigators designated to undertake an investigation have all the powers and privileges of a police constable in relation to that investigation throughout England and Wales (Police Reform Act, 2002- Schedule 3, Paragraph 19). However, despite being established in April 2004, the first known use of these arrest powers was in 2007 when a former police officer was arrested in relation to allegations of sexual assault. [3]
Commissioners
The eighteen Commissioners are appointed by the Home Secretary for a five year period and cannot be former staff of the bodies they have responsibility for investigating. The Commission is the governing board of the IPCC, holding collective responsibility for governance of the Commission including oversight of the Executive. As public office holders, Commissioners oversee and take ultimate responsibility for IPCC investigations, casework and the promotion of public confidence in the complaints system (known as Guardianship).
Commissioners in making decisions on individual cases act under the delegated authority of the Commission. All appointments, which are full-time and non-executive are for a five year term, were through open competition. The commission meets bi-monthly and dates can be found on the IPCC website.
The Commissioners are-
| Post/Region | Forces | Commissioners[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | - | Nick Hardwick |
| Deputy Chairs | - | Deborah Glass, Len Jackson |
| Central Region | West Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge University, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex | Len Jackson, David Petch, Amerdeep Somal, Rachel Cerfontyne |
| Wales & South West | North Wales, Dyfed Powys, South Wales, Gwent and Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, British Transport Police | Tom Davies, Rebecca Marsh |
| North | Northumbria, Durham, Cleveland, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Humberside, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Port of Liverpool, Lancashire, Cheshire, HM Revenue and Customs, UK Border Agency | Gary Garland, Nicholas Long, Naseem Malik |
| London & South East | Thames Valley, Hampshire, Surrey. Sussex, Kent, Metropolitan Police, City of London, Serious Organised Crime Agency | Ian Bynoe, Mike Franklin, Deborah Glass, Mehmuda Mian-Pritchard, Nicola Williams |
Example of an IPCC report
On 11 July 2007, the Independent Police Complaints Commissions issued the following press release.
- The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has concluded its managed investigation into a fatal road traffic collision in Briar Mill, Droitwich in Worcestershire on 23 June 2006.
- The investigation examined the police involvement leading up to the collision and officers' actions in the context of the force policy and procedures applicable in such circumstances. It also looked at the lines of communication between the CMPG and the West Mercia Force Control Room at the time of the pursuit.
- John Crawley, IPCC Commissioner said, "our investigation demonstrates quite clearly that the police officers involved acted in a completely appropriate manner. Their actions in no way caused the collision involving the stolen Mercedes and officers acted in full accordance with their professional duties."
Northern Ireland and Scotland
The IPCC self-regulation scheme covers England and Wales; oversight of the police complaints system in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. In Scotland it is the responsibility of the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS) for non-criminal complaints, or the Procurator Fiscal, part of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service where there are allegations of criminality.
Resignation of the Police Action Lawyers Group from the IPCC's advisory board
In February 2008 over a hundred lawyers who specialise in handling police complaints resigned from its advisory body, citing various criticisms of the IPCC including a pattern of favouritism towards the police, indifference and rudeness towards complainants and complaints being rejected in spite of apparently powerful evidence in their support.[5] The IPCC responded to these criticisms with a letter to The Guardian. [6]
It has been noted that "no policeman has ever been convicted of murder or manslaughter for a death following police contact, though there have been more than 400 such deaths in the past ten years alone."[7]
See also
- Jean Charles de Menezes (IPCC investigation into shooting at Stockwell Underground Station)
- Death of Ian Tomlinson
References
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/27/police Nick Hardwick Yes, we are independent - and we've cut down delays too The Guardian, Wednesday 27 February 2008
- ^ http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/about_ipcc.htm
- ^ "IPCC arrests and charges former Northumbria Police officer following investigation" (HTML). IPCC Website (press release). 2007-08-07. http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/pr070807_northumbria.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
- ^ [IPCC website http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/about_ipcc/who_runs/chair_commission.htm]
- ^ Crisis at police watchdog as lawyers resign
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/27/police
- ^ http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13497460&CFID=53674719&CFTOKEN=46502193
External links
- Independent Police Complaints Commission website
- Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS) website
- WikiCrimeLine Police Complaints Commission Commentary and useful links
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