According to new data, no disciplinary action was taken against more than four out of five claims made against Bedfordshire Police officers last year.
According to data from the Home Office, in the year ending in March 2023, 862 formal complaints were filed against Bedfordshire Police personnel, compared to 1,073 in the previous year.
Of these, 719 (84%) led to no additional action, while 856 were either not investigated or investigated without the need for extra processes.
Fourteen of the accusations were withdrawn, and none of them resulted in misconduct proceedings.
The numbers represent the total number of allegations rather than the number of complaints, as multiple charges of misbehaviour may be included in a single complaint. They do not cover any complaints that were resolved informally, where it was deemed unnecessary to conduct a thorough investigation.
The percentage of allegations in England and Wales that did not result in additional action was 89%, which was the same as the previous year.
Less than 87,768 complaint claims involving police officers were made in the nation last year, with 86,160 involving police officers.
The director of Amnesty International UK’s military, security, and police programme, Oliver Feeley-Sprague, stated: “A system in which the police bear the primary responsibility for conducting their own investigations cannot support police accountability.
“We need to ensure there is better independent oversight where complaints are thoroughly investigated, people need to have confidence that misconduct is taken seriously, and that police officers don’t operate in a climate of near impunity,” the statement reads. “Given growing concerns over police conduct, particularly with over-policing of marginalised communities.”
The number of “recordable conduct matter” allegations increased by 33% on a national level from 1,802 in 2021–2022 to 2,402 in the previous year. These are complaints claiming that a fatality or major injury was caused by the actions of a police officer.
“It’s really concerning to see such a high number of allegations of misconduct against the police, and that so many of them have no action taken,” stated Liberty’s policy and campaigns manager, Emmanuelle Andrews.
“We all have a right to fair and respectful treatment, but the reality is that British policing is permeated with racism, sexism, and violence.”
28 “recordable conduct matter” allegations were made against Bedfordshire Police officers, according to the numbers; 13 of them were forwarded to misconduct proceedings, and seven of them did not require any further action.
“What is particularly concerning is the high number of reported incidents involving police conduct that result in death or serious injury,” Ms. Andrews continued. Too many members of our community are being killed or injured by the police, and the families of those killed must fight for years to get justice.
68 of the 5,363 “conduct matter” charges submitted against police departments nationwide involved Bedfordshire. These are claims that suggest an officer may have broken the law or acted in a way that calls for disciplinary action.
Not all complaints are related to alleged misconduct; some may just be a statement of dissatisfaction requiring no further action, according to the Independent Office for officers Conduct, which looks into the most serious claims of misconduct involving officers.
According to a spokesman, “the number of complaints registered by force in recent years has naturally increased as a result of changes to the complaints system, which included broadening the scope of a complaint.
The law also acknowledges that many complaints won’t necessitate a drawn-out inquiry, and that there are a number of alternatives available to address them, including individual or organisational learning as well as offering an explanation or an apology.
The public and the police will also benefit from improved first complaint handling, which is why we are still collaborating with professional standards departments.
“Complainants are entitled to a review of how their complaint was handled; in the most severe situations, they would contact us. This guarantees system oversight and enables us to spot and resolve patterns and themes in the handling of complaints as needed.
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