Professional Standards Policies 2020 (1229A/20 & 1230A/20)
Request
Request 1:
Please provide a copy of those policies held by the Professional Standards Department (PSD) as PSD deal with complaints about employees by members of the public.
Request 2:
In 2016, complaints made to West Midlands Police, about the conduct of Officers, were either logged and or formally recorded (i.e. dealt with under Schedule3, Police Reform Act 2002), or were not recorded (i.e. dealt with outside of Schedule 3, Police Reform Act 2002).
The format of how such outcomes appear in PSD referencing, from my understanding, is as a discernible sequence of a two-letter prefix (e.g. XX), followed by a forward slash (i.e. /), a series of numbers (e.g. 01234), and ending with another forward slash (i.e. /), followed by the two-digit year (e.g. 16) in which the complaint was made.
For referencing purposes, and as the official answers upon which the public can place reliance, specifically as they relate to the above;
- In 2016, what was the two-letter prefix assigned to logged complaints?
- Since 30 April 2020, what is the two-letter prefix assigned to logged complaints?
- In 2016, what was the two-letter prefix assigned to formally recorded complaints?
- Since 30 April 2020, what is the two-letter prefix currently being assigned to formally recorded complaints?
- In 2016, what was the two-letter prefix assigned to non-recorded complaints?
- Since 30 April 2020, what is the two-letter prefix currently being assigned to non-recorded complaints?
- Please confirm and state the recorded facts and or specific instances, if any, that would vary the answers provided to questions 2, 4 and 6 above.
Response
In relation to Request 1:
Please find attached to this response eight documents as detailed below that are policies held by the Professional Standards Department that govern and guide how a complaint about an employee, from internal or external source, should be dealt with.
1: Home Office Statutory Guidance
2: 2020 Statutory Guidance final
3: Launch of legislative changes on 1st Feb 2020
4: Police (complaints and misconduct) regulations 2020
5: Police (performance) regulations 2020
6: IPOC discrimination guidelines updated March 2020
7: Police Appeals Tribunals Rules 2020
8: Police conduct regulations 2020
Further information can be found on the IOPC and Home Office websites such as the below
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policing-professional-standards-performance-and-integrity
In relation to Request 2:
Please see below the recorded data that we have in relation to your questions 1 – 6 above.
The second section “ two-letter prefix” – Complaint is CO, Miscellaneous is MI and Conduct is CM.
The only notable change is Schedule 3 YES or No. (this is due to new regulations introduced in Feb 2020).
As recommended as good practice by the Information Commissioner’s Office a version of this response may be published on the West Midlands Police website.
Attachments
2020_01_10 Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 [Final] 2020_01_10 Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 [Final] 2020_01_10 Police (Performance) Regulations 2020 [Final] 2020_01_10 Police Appeals Tribunals Rules 2020 [Final] 2020_statutory_guidance_FINAL Home Office Statutory Guidance IOPC_discrimination_guidelines_updated_March_2020 Launch of legislative changes on 1 February 2020