MPs: despite £35m budget IPCC fails to inspire trust
In a report published today, parliament's Home Affairs Committee criticises the Independent Police Complaints Commission for failing to inspire trust and confidence in those it has dealt with and handling cases in a distant and non-empathetic manner
Despite an ever-increasing workload the IPCC does little to prevent complaints against police behaviour in the first instance by improving forces' complaints procedures, and despite a budget of £35 million per annum the organisation lacks clear measures of success.
While the Commission has achieved some tangible and high-profile successes since its formation, the IPCC fails to inspire confidence in the independence of the process. Investigations are handled in an unsatisfactory and non-transparent manner and the length of IPCC-managed investigations - up to 269 working days in some cases - does little to increase trust in the system. The Committee calls upon the Commission to place those involved in complaints - both complainants and individual police officers - much more at the heart of the process.
