West Mercia has seen a 5% drop in complaint allegations made against police officers in the last year.
A report out today from the Independent Office for Police Conduct shows 839 allegations were made in 2018/19, down from 886 the previous year.
While fewer allegations of complaint were made against the force, the number of complaints that were actually recorded went up by 4%, showing an improvement in recording practices.
West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “This report shows the improving picture in West Mercia. The force is seeing fewer complaints, despite demand on police nationwide remaining high. In West Mercia, I have invested significantly in additional police officers and resources like body worn video. It is clear these are having a positive impact on the service our communities are receiving. I will continue to hold the force to account to ensure West Mercia Police continues to offer the best possible service to our communities”.
Assistant Chief Constable Martin Evans said: “Much of our work involves engaging with people at incredibly difficult and challenging times in their life and we pride ourselves in giving them a good service. We are pleased this has been evidenced in these figures, which show a reduction in complaints, and by a recent survey which showed that 85% of people in our communities have confidence in our force, which is higher than the average of other similar forces.
“On the occasions where the conduct of an officer or member of staff falls short of the high standards we expect you can expect us to take appropriate and firm action. We are also dedicated to learning from such incidents and continuously improving our service.”
The report also shows 95% of cases were recorded within 10 days, ahead of the national average. The number of allegations are below that of similar forces and the national average. Improvements to timeliness mean complaints are resolved around 3 weeks faster than similar forces, and a week faster than the national average.
Issued: Tuesday 15th October 2019
