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Hampshire Police and Crime Panel - Complaints Sub-Committee

This page lists the meetings for Hampshire Police and Crime Panel - Complaints Sub-Committee.

Meetings

Information about Hampshire Police and Crime Panel - Complaints Sub-Committee

The Police and Crime Panel (PCP) is responsible for handling complaints made against the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) or the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

The PCP has a number of agreed protocols outlining how it will handle such complaints.

PCP - Complaints Handling Flowchart

PCP - Protocol for the Informal Complaints Procedure

Guidance note on the management of unreasonable complainant behaviour

 

The PCP is only able to consider complaints relating to the conduct of the PCC/DPCC. Conduct in this regard may include actions and omissions, statements or procedures of, or undertaken by the PCC/DPCC, including the way decisions are taken. The PCP does not have the power to review the merits of any decisions taken by the PCC/DPCC, only whether the decision was taken properly in accordance with procedures and any statutory requirements.

Complaints relating to the merit of decisions made by the PCC or the actions taken by members of the PCC’s staff should be addressed to the Chief Executive of the Office of the PCC (OPCC) directly. 

If you wish to make a complaint regarding the alleged conduct, including alleged criminal conduct, of the PCC/DPCC, you should submit your complaint in writing, using our form:

Raise a complaint against the Police and Crime Commissioner/Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire

In line with the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010, we can make reasonable adjustments to assist you if you have a disability that prevents you from making your complaint in writing. We can also provide help if English is not your first language. Please call 0300 555 1375 if such assistance is required.

Under the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 the PCC has responsibility for carrying out reviews, where they are the relevant review body for complaints against Hampshire Constabulary (the Constabulary) that are handled under the Police Reform Act 2002. The PCP does not have the power to review individual decisions reached by the PCC and/or their office in respect of applications made to review the outcome of complaints, and are not the correct body of recourse to challenge such decisions made the PCC and/or their office. For further information about the complaint review process please visit the website of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire https://www.hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/contact-us/complaints-and-reviews

Process

Your complaint will initially be received by the Chief Executive to the PCC, as they hold delegated responsibility to record complaints received by to the Panel. They are required to refer complaints of alleged criminal conduct to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

In respect of other complaints, where the Chief Executive to the PCC determines that they properly fall within the responsibility of the PCP, they will record the complaint and will refer the matter to the Complaints Sub-Committee of the PCP which in most cases, will handle the complaint in accordance with the informal resolution process. Under this process, the Sub-Committee has powers to require the person complained against to provide information or documents or attend before it but, otherwise, it does not have the power to investigate the complaint. The Sub-Committee has various options for informal resolution which can include and is not limited to providing:

·         an explanatory letter being written by an officer on behalf of the Sub-Committee, or by an officer of the Office of the PCC

·         a suggested change to a policy of the Office of the PCC

·         a request that an apology is tendered; or 

in some cases, disapplication of the informal resolution process enabling the Sub-Committee to handle the complaint as it sees fit, or take no further action. These are cases where for example: 

·         the matter is already the subject of a complaint

·         the complaint is anonymously made and it is not reasonably practicable to ascertain the name of or address of the complainant

·         the complaint is vexatious, oppressive or otherwise an abuse of the complaints procedure

·         the complaint is repetitious (it is substantially the same as a previous complaint, it contains no fresh allegations which significantly affect the account of the conduct complained of, no fresh evidence, being evidence which was not reasonably available at the time the previous complaint was made, is tendered in support of it, and the previous complaint was resolved or withdrawn)

·         the matter took place more than 12 months ago and no good reason for the delay has been shown or injustice would be caused by the delay; or 

·         the complaint is concerned entirely with the conduct of the PCC/DPCC in relation to a member of the PCC/DPCC's staff

Whichever path is followed, the complaints process ends when the parties are notified of the outcome reached by the Sub-Committee. 

Consideration of a complaint may be outside the powers or responsibility of the PCP, for example, where a complaint relates to an issue of operational policing , should this be the case the Chief Executive and/or the Panel will contact you to confirm how the matter will be handled.

The powers of the PCP in respect of complaints are prescribed by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, and the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012.