Written question asked by David Amess (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 May 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 May 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Thursday, 14 May 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Police: Complaints

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) on (a) its target for conclusion of a complaint against the police from the date of registration of the complaint and (b) the average time taken per case; what representations she has received from (i) hon. Members and (ii) members of the public about the time taken by the IPCC to investigate a complaint against a police force; what response she gave; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The Home Office is working with the IPCC, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities to help it develop a performance framework to help assess and improve the performance of the complaints system as a whole, including the work of the IPCC.The IPCC monitors timescales of the complaints which it carries out, manages or supervises but there is no single overarching target for concluding consideration of a complaint against the police as the time will vary depending on the particular circumstances of each case.

Secondary information