We are committed to providing a good and professional service to the public at all times. Sometimes however, you may feel we have got something wrong or an aspect of the way we have dealt with you has not been right. If this is the case, you can make a complaint.
We take all complaints seriously and aim to handle them quickly and effectively in a fair and open way.
What complaints does the OPCC handle?
We deal with the following types of complaint:
- Complaints against the Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police
- Complaints against OPCC staff or volunteers (eg Independent Custody
Visitors) - Complaints against the policies and procedures of the OPCC.
We also carry out the initial handling for complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner and Deputy PCC, on behalf of the Police and Crime Panel and we carry out reviews against the outcome of certain complaints to the force (police
complaint reviews).
The PCC cannot interfere with the operational independence of the police force and if your complaint relates to a member of Warwickshire Police below the rank of Chief Constable, any member of staff employed by the Chief Constable or a policy or procedure of the police, this will be dealt with by the force Professional Standards Department. Serious complaints will be referred by the force to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Further information about what constitutes a serious complaint can be found here:
http://policeconduct.gov.uk/investigations/what-we-investigate-and-next-steps
Raising concerns about incidents in the media
In order to make a police complaint, you must be eligible to be a complainant. This is defined by the legislation as someone who has directly witnessed the incident or who is directly affected by it.
Complaints can be raised by other people on their behalf, but only with their written consent.
Therefore, if you are not directly affected or were not present at the incident that you have concerns about, you cannot use the police complaints system to make your concerns known.
You can still make your concerns known to the police force as part of general feedback.
Summary of how to complain
The table below outlines who will deal with complaints and how you can make them. For full details of how we deal with complaints, please read our Complaints Policy.
| Who or what is the complaint about? | Who to complain to |
| The Police and Crime Commissioner
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (if employed) |
The Police and Crime Panel has delegated the initial handling of complaints to the OPCC Chief Executive who will determine how it should be handled. |
| The Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner | The Police and Crime Commissioner |
| A member of the OPCC’s staff or a volunteer with the OPCC | The Chief Executive of the OPCC |
| A policy or procedure of the OPCC | The Chief Executive of the OPCC, in conjunction with the PCC. |
| The Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police | The Police and Crime Commissioner. |
| Any police officer below the rank of Chief Constable
Any member of police staff employed by the Chief Constable Policies and procedures of Warwickshire Police |
Warwickshire Police (Professional Standards Department) Click here to visit the Warwickshire Police website for further information. |
| Requesting a review of the outcome of a complaint made to Warwickshire Police | Once your complaint has investigated by Professional Standards you will receive an investigation outcome letter, which will specify who should review your complaint, if you require this. This will either be the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner or the Independent Office of Police Conduct.
If you are unsure, please check with Warwickshire PSD. Where the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is specified, you can download and complete our Review Form:
|
If you are still unsure as to who to make a complaint to, please contact our office on 01926 733523 or by email at opcc@warwickshire.police.uk and we will be happy to advise.
Please note that the OPCC cannot investigate anonymous complaints (i.e. they must come from a named individual) and all complaints need to be made in writing or by email. If this poses a difficulty for you, please get in touch with our office or ask a friend or relative to contact us on your behalf.
Neither the PCC nor their Office will enter into correspondence with individuals who behave unreasonably. You can read more about this in the Managing Public Conduct policy
You can read our full Complaints Policy for more information.
