Complaints against the States of Jersey Police (FOI)Complaints against the States of Jersey Police (FOI)
Produced by the Freedom of Information officeAuthored by States of Jersey and published on
08 January 2018.Request
How many complaints have there been against the police in the past three years? What were the nature of the complaints and what action was taken?
Response
The figures for 2017 have yet to be compiled.
The States of Jersey Police are committed to continuously improving the service we deliver to our communities and view complaints as a vital source of feedback to gauge how well we are delivering that service. The Professional Standards Department deal with complaints made against the States of Jersey Police.
Under the Law a member of the public can complain about the conduct of a police officer. If you think that a police officer has behaved incorrectly or unfairly, you have the right to make a complaint.
For some less serious complaints, such as an officers’ level of politeness and tolerance, an Informal Resolution is often the best way of dealing with the complaint. This is a flexible process that can be adapted to the needs of the complainant and may involve a police supervisor agreeing with the complainant a suitable way of dealing with the complaint. This might be an explanation or information to clear up a misunderstanding, an apology on behalf of the force and / or an outline of what actions will be taken to prevent a similar matter occurring in the future.
Please note: in some cases the total 'Resolution Breakdown' figure does not match the ‘Total Complaints’ figure. Investigation of the initial allegations may lead to a more precise assessment of the complaint which may reduce the number of different categories the initial complaint is made up of.
A complaint that is not aimed at an individual officer but more at the way the police deal with matters generally, is classed separately as an ‘Organisational Complaint’. There is no formal resolution in these cases. Each complaint is dealt with individually, usually with an explanation to the complainant as to why the police act in a particular manner. This may be a legal requirement or an established policy or procedure. The States of Jersey Police will always examine it’s processes and consider options when an organisational complaint is made.
All complaints of a serious nature are referred to the Jersey Police Complaints Authority who in turn appoint a member to supervise the investigation, therefore ensuring independent oversight.
Individual complaints: (No figure indicates zero)
PC 2016 | | PC 2015 | | PC 2014 | |
Total cases | 23 | Total cases | 31 | Total cases | 55 |
Total complaints | 29 | Total complaints | 59 | Total complaints | 107 |
|
Complaint breakdown | | Complaint breakdown | | Complaint breakdown | |
| Criminal offences | | Criminal offences | 15 | Criminal offences | 17 |
| Confidentiality | 1 | Confidentiality | 2 | Confidentiality | |
| Fairness and impartiality | 1 | Fairness and impartiality | 2 | Fairness and impartiality | 5 |
| General conduct | 9 | General conduct | 7 | General conduct | 21 |
| Honesty and integrity | | Honesty and integrity | 2 | Honesty and integrity | 6 |
| Lawful orders | | Lawful orders | | Lawful orders | |
| Performance and duties | 8 | Performance and duties | 15 | Performance and duties | 21 |
| Politeness and tolerance | 7 | Politeness and tolerance | 9 | Politeness and tolerance | 13 |
| Property | | Property | | Property | |
| Use of force and abuse of authority | 3 | Use of force and abuse of authority | 7 | Use of force and abuse of authority | 24 |
| |
Resolution breakdown | | Resolution breakdown | | Resolution breakdown | |
| Informal resolution | 8 | Informal resolution | 15 | Informal resolution | 13 |
| Substantiated | 2 | Substantiated | 5 | Substantiated | 7 |
| Unsubstantiated | 13 | Unsubstantiated | 20 | Unsubstantiated | 44 |
| Vexatious | | Vexatious | | Vexatious | 15 |
| Withdrawn | 5 | Withdrawn | 14 | Withdrawn | 10 |
Action taken in respect of public complaints
| Words of advice | 3 | 14 were informally resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. 6 were withdrawn. 7 were unsubstantiated. 2 were reclassified and addressed. 1 related to a judicial matter (established not complaint against police). 1 deemed civil matter. | 7 |
| Formal hearing | 1 | 3 |
| Other outcome | 1 Vexatious complaint | 1 Vexatious complaint |
Organisational complaints
| Total cases | 14 | Total cases | 6 | Total cases | 5 |
| Total complaints | 10 | Total complaints | 2 | Total complaints | 3 |
| |
| Complaint breakdown | | Complaint breakdown | | Complaint breakdown | |
| Criminal offences | | Criminal offences | | Criminal offences | |
| Confidentiality | | Confidentiality | | Confidentiality | |
| Fairness and impartiality | 2 | Fairness and impartiality | | Fairness and impartiality | |
| General conduct | | General conduct | | General conduct | |
| Honesty and integrity | | Honesty and integrity | | Honesty and integrity | |
| Lawful orders | | Lawful orders | | Lawful orders | |
| Performance and duties | 5 | Performance and duties | 1 | Performance and duties | 3 |
| Politeness and tolerance | 1 | Politeness and tolerance | | Politeness and tolerance | |
| Property | | Property | | Property | |
| Use of force and abuse of authority | 2 | Use of force and abuse of authority | 1 | Use of force and abuse of authority | |
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