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Complaints about police up by 15% Complaints about police up by 15%
(about 2 hours later)
The number of complaints against police in England and Wales has risen by 15% over the last year, figures show.The number of complaints against police in England and Wales has risen by 15% over the last year, figures show.
Some 26,268 complaints were recorded by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for 2005/2006 - up 3,370 on 2004/2005. Some 26,268 complaint cases were recorded by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for 2005/2006 - up 3,370 on 2004/2005.
The biggest increases in complaints were in the "neglect or failure of duty", "incivility, politeness and intolerance" and "lack of fairness". But 88% of allegations investigated were found to be unsubstantiated.
It says rises are due to the complaints system being more accessible. The Police Federation of England and Wales said officers were "too often made to feel guilty before investigation has started".
The Police Federation of England and Wales said officers under investigation by the IPCC were "all too often made to feel guilty before any investigation has started". To ensure police officer confidence in the IPCC, it is essential that they are treated like any other member of the public Jan BerryPolice Federation href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/13_12_06_ipcc.pdf" class="">Police complaints 2005/6: the full report [708KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html">Download the reader here
"Whilst it is right that police officers are fully accountable for their actions, the IPCC must recognise the massive effect these investigations have on the officers and families involved, even when accusations are tenuous at best," chairwoman Jan Berry said."Whilst it is right that police officers are fully accountable for their actions, the IPCC must recognise the massive effect these investigations have on the officers and families involved, even when accusations are tenuous at best," chairwoman Jan Berry said.
"To ensure police officer confidence in the IPCC, it is essential that they are treated like any other member of the public - officers must be judged to be innocent until proved guilty.""To ensure police officer confidence in the IPCC, it is essential that they are treated like any other member of the public - officers must be judged to be innocent until proved guilty."
The statistics also show that eight out of 10 appeals against IPCC rulings were rejected.
The most common allegation against police was for "neglect or failure of duty".
IPCC chairman Nick Hardwick welcomed the increase because he said it showed people had "greater confidence that it is worth complaining".
"It also shows that the commission and the police service have made the system more accessible and usable," he added.
"More and more people recognise that if you have a grievance the police service will take it seriously.
"This can only have a beneficial effect on the public's views of the police service as a whole."