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Wednesday, 3 October 2023

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Crime and justice

Complaining about the police or council on crime or anti-social behaviour

The police will always aim to provide a high quality service and a quick and effective solution to anti-social behaviour or crime. There may be times when this doesn’t happen or you wish to comment on the service you have received (including when you want to give positive feedback). You can do this in a number of ways.

How to contact your neighbourhood policing team

You can raise issues with your neighbourhood policing team:

in person at a community meeting
by speaking to an officer when they are out on the beat
by calling in to see them or ringing them
by e-mailing them

The police will agree with you how they will put right your concern or deal with your complaint and keep you informed of progress. Find contact details for your police force and neighbourhood policing team by using the link below.

Find a police force, neighbourhood policing team or police authority

Who else can I speak to?

About crime

If you do not wish to speak to your neighbourhood policing team, or if you are dissatisfied with the response you have received, you can contact your police headquarters.

You can also approach your police authority. Different authorities may have different procedures for dealing with your issue. No matter which route you choose someone should get back to you within 24 hours and tell you what will happen next.

About anti-social behaviour

If your concern is about anti-social behaviour, you can also contact your local council. Each council has a team working with your local neighbourhood policing team to deal with anti social behaviour. They will also have a complaints procedure if you are not happy.

You can also speak to your council's anti-social behaviour coordinator about the issue.

Find a police force, neighbourhood policing team or police authority

A to Z of local councils

But what if I am still unhappy with the way things have been handled or my complaint is very serious?

Some issues may not be able to be resolved by your local police or police authority, or you may not feel that they are responding sufficiently to the issues you have raised. These situations may require different action.

If such situations arise and your complaint relates to the conduct of a person serving with the police, you can complain directly to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). You can also appeal to the IPCC if you think your complaint was neither investigated properly nor resolved in the correct manner by your local police or authority.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a body which has oversight of the police complaints.

If your complaint relates to other issues, such as the overall way your area is policed, and you do not feel that it has been properly resolved, you can write to the chief constable of your force or your police authority. This includes issues of anti-social behaviour. They may then bring this to the attention of the IPCC.

The IPCC may review a small number of cases to ensure that forces and authorities are handling complaints fairly and effectively.

For issues of anti-social behaviour, you can also contact your local councillor, or a local government ombudsman. They look at complaints about councils and some other authorities.