Published: 29/07/2010 16:00 -
Updated: 29/07/2010 17:01
EXCLUSIVE
Northamptonshire police received nearly two complaints a day about its service last year, according to new figures.
The data, released to the Herald & Post under the Freedom of Information Act, show that there were 686 complaints made against the force for 2009/2010.
However, in that time only 118 misconduct cases have been filed against officers.
Of those 60 were given advice, 14 were found guilty, 17 officers were given warnings, six were derecorded and 20 were told they had no case to answer.
There was also a single resignation from the force.
A further 195 officers had cases of complaints laid against them since 2005.
Of these 158 were given advice, seven had formal discussions over the incidents, seven had written warnings due to their behaviour and in 23 cases management action was required.
The figures also show that 150 complaints have been made against the force since April this year.
Deidre Newham, Chair of Northamptonshire Police Authority said: “One of the responsibilities of Northamptonshire Police Authority is to monitor complaints made against the Force; this is done in a variety of ways.
“The Authority’s Performance Monitoring Committee also receives regular reports from the Force’s Professional Standards Department, which identify any trends in the nature or location of complaints.
“Northamptonshire Police Authority are currently reviewing the way in which it oversees complaints, to include any dissatisfaction with the service received, as part of our ongoing commitment to increasing people’s trust and confidence in Northamptonshire Police.” A spokesman for Independent Police Complaints Commission said: “Generally, the trend in complaint cases recorded over the last five years for Northamptonshire Police follows that of the national figures.” Superintendent Mark Lacey, head of Professional Standards Department, said: “All complaints received are investigated rigorously by the Professional Standards Department and more serious cases are referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
“We take every complaint seriously, looking at what has gone wrong and feed that through to operational commanders and training departments so that we can make improvements.
“A significant proportion of allegations relate to neglect and incivility.
“Bearing this in mind we have introduced a system of scheduled appointments, which helps us deal with calls more effectively.
“We have one of the highest proportions of complaints dealt with by local resolution when less serious complaints are resolved.
“With the consent of the complainant, a discussion will take place between them and the officer or member of staff involved and a swift apology can be given where appropriate."
