Police and Crime Commissioner, West Yorkshire

Mark Burns-Williamson

Dear Mark,

You asked me to conduct a strategic review of the arrangements for and the approach to the way in which complaints and conduct matters are handled by the West Yorkshire Police to ensure integrity and to restore public trust and confidence in policing in West Yorkshire. I made it clear that any such review could only be conducted with the full support and co-operation of the Chief Constable and the Force and I am pleased to record that I received that support and co-operation.

My overall conclusion is that there is no fundamental problem, unique to West Yorkshire, in the management and handling of complaints within the Force. There is a historic cultural context which inevitably affects perception and probably public confidence in the handling of complaints and this is a continuing reputational challenge which cannot be overturned overnight. But the recent changes in the structure of the Professional Standards Department and the clear commitment of senior officers to the importance of ensuring a transparent and effective complaints and conduct regime is encouraging and I encountered no horror stories.

Having said that, I have a number of observations about the manner in which complaints are approached within the Force, the role of the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner and the role of the Police and Crime Panel, as well as on the regulatory framework within which all players are required to operate. The adversarial, legalistic and complex legislation governing complaints and conduct does no-one any favours. It does not give scope for constructive criticism and feedback. It creates a predisposition for mistrust by casting the Chief Constable in all but the most serious cases as prosecutor, jury, judge and sentencer. It sells PCCs short by denying them any meaningful remit. For the public it is impenetrable and creates unacceptable delays and it forces officers facing potential discipline action into a defensive position in which a swift apology, which might often be the resolution a complainant is seeking, becomes impossible.

But, unless or until the national regulations are overhauled, West Yorkshire, like all other PCCs and forces, have to do the best they can to give the best possible service to the public, to learn from the feedback they receive and to continue to treat their officers and staff with absolute fairness. I hope some of the suggestions in this short report will be helpful. It is intended very much as a means of instigating further discussion and exploration rather than an end of the process.

Catherine Crawford