A guide to the complaints process

Complaints are initially dealt with by the police forces themselves. Each force has a department that makes sure that complaints are dealt with appropriately, these are usually called professional standards departments. 

We only independently investigate the most serious and sensitive matters. These are the type of matters that have the potential to affect public confidence in the police, such as deaths and serious injuries.

If you complain via the IOPC, we will send your complaint directly to the police force or local policing body involved. They will assess your complaint and contact you about how it will be handled. 

By law, a police force must be able to investigate a complaint and have the opportunity to explain, apologise or put things right themselves. 

We want to make it simple and easy to make a complaint. You can complain directly to the police force or local policing body involved or you can complain using this form and we will pass your complaint to them. We do not keep a copy of your complaint. 

We expect police forces to take complaints seriously and manage any issues you may have experienced. The police should learn from complaints to improve the way they do things and make changes to stop the same problem happening again. We also expect forces to identify and refer the most serious kinds of complaints to us. 

Police forces must handle complaints in a reasonable and proportionate way. This means: 

• doing what is appropriate in the circumstances 
• taking into account the facts and the context in which the complaint is raised 
• providing good customer service. 

Yes, visit our dedicated guide to the complaints process for young people.

No. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) does not fall under our jurisdiction. You should raise any disputes about the information on your Criminal Record Disclosure directly with DBS.

If you have applied for a DBS check but are experiencing delays, you should contact the DBS directly. If your complaint to the DBS reveals that the delay is the responsibility of the local police force, then you may complain directly to the police force concerned.

You can complain to us if you are unhappy with the conduct of an officer or member of police staff or if you feel you were treated badly or unfairly by the police. However, this does not mean the fixed penalty is cancelled.

The same applies if you have been issued with a caution. We cannot remove a police caution or contest the caution on your behalf. If you would like to challenge a police caution or fixed penalty, you should contact your local Citizens Advice office or seek legal advice.

Our remit does not cover claims for compensation from the police. If you want to pursue any financial claims against the police, you should contact the police force concerned directly, or you can write to the police force solicitor.

To make a complaint, you can:

• complain directly to the force or organisation
• complete our online form
• complete the word or pdf version of our complaints form

You can also complain by telephoning 101 or visiting any police station. If you are complaining in person you can bring someone with you such as a friend or advocate. If you prefer, someone can make a complaint on your behalf, but you must give your permission in writing for them to do this. 

As well as police forces, you can use the police complaints system to complain about:

• the National Crime Agency (NCA)
• His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• the parts of the Home Office that carry out border and immigration functions 
• police and crime commissioners (and comparable bodies such as the Mayor of Greater Manchester)
• the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime
• the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
• British Transport Police
• Ministry of Defence Police

You can make a complaint if you have:

• Experienced inappropriate behaviour from a police officer, staff member, contractor or volunteer. For instance, if you felt they were rude or aggressive to you.
• Witnessed a police officer, staff member, contractor or volunteer acting inappropriately.
• Been negatively affected by the conduct of a police officer, staff member, contractor or volunteer, even if it did not take place in relation to you (further information on this is available in the Statutory guidance on the police complaints system).

If you are representing someone who is in one of the categories listed above, and you wish to make a complaint on their behalf, you must have their written permission. This does not apply if you are the parent or guardian of a child aged 16 or under and wish to complain on their behalf.

You can also complain about how a police force is run. For example, you can complain about policing standards or policing policy.

There is no time limit for making a complaint. However, if you complain about something that happened more than 12 months ago, you should explain why you didn’t complain sooner.

Certain complaints must be referred to us (further information on this is available in the Statutory guidance on the police complaints system).

There is no time limit on making a complaint, but it is best to do it as quickly as possible after the incident has occurred. 

If you are making a complaint more than 12 months after the incident you should explain the reason for the delay. However, explaining your reasons does not guarantee that the complaint will be investigated.

No. We do not offer a face-to-face service. The best way to make your complaint is directly to the police force involved. Alternatively, you can complain via our online complaints form.

Once received, the person dealing with your complaint will contact you (usually within three weeks) to make sure they have all the details about your complaint. They should ask you what you want to happen. For example, you might want an apology, a problem to be put right, or the police to be held responsible or learn from what went wrong.  

The person dealing with your complaint will be able to tell you how they will deal with your complaint, and what is likely to happen as a result. For example, they may provide you with information or an explanation for what happened. 

If your complaint needs to be looked into further, the police force's professional standards department, or your local policing body should record your complaint and let you know they have done this. Certain complaints must be formally recorded. 

You can ask for your complaint to be formally recorded. Recording a complaint means that it has formal status under the Police Reform Act 2002. It must then be dealt with according to formal rules and guidance.

The police force or relevant organisation will also consider whether your complaint should be referred to us. They must refer the most serious incidents to us.

You may be asked by the police force how you would like to be kept informed – this could be by phone, letter, email or in person. You will receive an update at least every 28 days and at the end of your complaint. 

The police force will assess your complaint and consider how to deal with your complaint in a reasonable and proportionate way. Some of the actions that could result from the handling of your complaint are: 

• providing information, or an explanation 
• a supervisor could offer advice and identify training needs  
• giving an apology on behalf of the force  
• sometimes it could be reasonable to take no further action  
• an officer could reflect on their performance with their supervisor and take action  
• changing the force’s policy or procedures 

Most complaints will be handled without an investigation. However, in some circumstances, the police will carry out an investigation into your complaint. Certain complaints must be dealt with in this way. The person dealing with your complaint may set ‘terms of reference’. Terms of reference explain what the investigation will look at. If these are produced, you should receive a copy. Most investigations are carried out by the police force or professional standards department. We only investigate the most serious cases, such as those involving a death or serious injury following police contact.  

You should be given enough information at the end of the investigation to understand what has happened during the investigation, and what decisions have been reached. In most instances, you will be given a copy of the investigation report.  

Regardless of the outcome of your complaint, the information you provide helps the police service and the IOPC to identify broader trends and patterns. It also helps us to identify learning to influence changes in policing. 

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, you may be able to apply for a review or appeal to the force. The force you complained to should send you a letter or email that tells you whether you have a right of review, or appeal. 

If you have the right to a review or appeal, the letter or email will also tell you which organisation will handle your review, or appeal. This could be the Police and Crime Commissioner, the police force or the IOPC, depending on how the complaint was dealt with. You have 28 days after the outcome of your complaint to apply for a review, or appeal. 

If you are dissatisfied with a criminal investigation that the police are currently carrying out or have finished carrying out, you can make a complaint about the conduct of any police officer or member of police staff. However, this would not necessarily lead to a review of the criminal investigation itself.

We do not have any control over the police handling of a criminal matter. We cannot review the results or instruct the police to reinvestigate a criminal allegation.