Complaints against police officers should be speeded up to avoid “obstruction and delay” hampering investigations into misconduct, MPs have warned.
A report by the home affairs select committee into the role of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found poor communications and ‘opaque processes’ were damaging public trust.
In a damning assessment of the way complaints are handled, it concluded there was little public confidence they are likely to succeed or result in proper sanctions of officers found to have committed misconduct.
It calls for a culture change to ensure that complaints are handled quickly to avoid both complainants and officers under investigation having the process drag out, in extreme cases over several years.
“Those responsible for blocking the progress of investigation must be held to account. The IOPC must utilise its powers at an early stage to minimise delays,” the report states.
“Police forces, officers and their unions must also take responsibility for ensuring bad behaviour is rooted out.”
Andy Symonds, chair of the Norfolk Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, called for a process that is “fair, proportionate, necessary, efficient and timely”.
He said: "Long delays are not helpful to anyone involved in this be that the officer or the member of the public who may have made a complaint to the IOPC.
“I know we do all we can from a federation perspective to minimise the delays by making sure officers submit their written accounts as soon as practicably possible or enabling the earliest possible date for interviews.
“However, we expect the same from the IOPC in the form of disclosure being made in a timely manner with nothing held back so it is an open and transparent process.”
The number of complaints lodged against Norfolk officers is below the national average, but the constabulary has accepted it needs to respond to allegations quicker.
Diana Johnson, the chair of the committee, said a succession of scandals in recent years has “left public confidence in policing at a perilous point”.
“The IOPC will need to ensure that it drives change to create a complaints system people can have full confidence in. There must be no repeat of past mistakes,” she said.
Among 580 complaints from members of the public in Norfolk last year 507 were about the way officers carried out their duties and 262 alleged misuse of police powers.
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