A Comparison of Independent Police Complaint Bodies: Interview Data, 2022-2024

The handling of citizens' complaints against the police across national and jurisdictional boundaries is difficult to compare as available data are generally incompatible or absent. Independent police complaints bodies (IPCBs) are highly vulnerable to criticism of being costly and ineffective. The aim of this comparative project was to provide the data needed for contextualisation of IPCBs through long-term, in-depth comparison of the functioning of IPCBs in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan. The findings can be used to contextualise IPCBs in other countries.

The methodologies behind the data collection were designed to match the data available for the five countries, to recommend common principles for data collection, and to best highlight similarities and dissimilarities in the handling of citizens’ complaints by IPCBs in all five countries. Quantitative data were gleaned from IPCB annual reports. Due to highly dissimilar methodologies for data collection and definitions of categories, an important outcome of the project was to identify information that needed to be collected for some IPCBs, and recommend consistent formats for data collection.

The UK the data cover three types, gleaned from the Independent Office for Police Complaints for England/Wales (IOPC), the Scottish Police Investigation and Review Commissioner (PIRC), and the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI).

First, transcripts of 22 interviews (out of a total of 27) conducted with IPBC practitioners, police, and criminal justice personnel involved with investigating, assessing, and sanctioning complaints against police officers. These interviews were conducted between September 2022 and April 2024.

Secondly, two reports were produced based on anonymised summaries of discussions from two stakeholder events, reflecting experiences, concerns, and suggestions for improvement of police complaints handling.

Finally, included visualisations of the institutional set-up of the IPCB, PIRC and PONI, to illustrate the range and diversity of arrangements for UK IPCBs.