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Complaints and Reviews

The majority of Hampshire Constabulary officers and staff provide a high standard of service to the communities of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. However, there may be an occasion when a member of the public may feel dissatisfied with the service they have received and wish to make a complaint.

Hampshire Constabulary welcomes feedback from the public to help shape their service. If you are unhappy with the service you have received and wish to make a formal complaint, please complete the complaints form.

Complaints can also be made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), however these will automatically be passed to Hampshire Constabulary or the Police and Crime Commissioner for the initial stages of the process to be completed, unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify not passing it on.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner recognises that being the victim of crime or involved in the criminal justice process can leave some people feeling isolated, worried, confused or dissatisfied with the outcome. There are support organisations that can offer help and support.  Support Leaflet

Please click the dropdowns below for more information:

 

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner

The Police and Crime Commissioner has a role in the police complaints system to increase independence and improve complaint handling by Hampshire Constabulary.

The Police and Crime Commissioner has statutory responsibility for:

  • the local oversight of complaint handling by Hampshire Constabulary;
  • acting as an independent Review Body for some complaints that have been made through the formal complaints system of Hampshire Constabulary;
  • dealing with complaints made against the Chief Constable, a role known as the Appropriate Authority.

Any complaints received by the Police and Crime Commissioner about the service provided by Hampshire Constabulary will be forwarded to the force. The Police and Crime Commissioner can only review cases submitted after 1 February 2020 that have been through the police complaints system first, and where the Police and Crime Commissioner is the relevant review body.

Your right to a review of the outcome of complaints made to Hampshire Constabulary

If you submitted a complaint to Hampshire Constabulary’s complaints system after 1 February 2020, have received a formal outcome of your complaint and wish to exercise your right to review, this will be to either the Police and Crime Commissioner or the IOPC. Your outcome letter will detail who the relevant review body is for your complaint.

For matters where the Police and Crime Commissioner is the relevant review body, you will need to submit your application within 28 calendar days from the day after the outcome letter was sent.

An independent review will be carried out and will consider whether the outcome of your complaint was reasonable and proportionate. It is not merely a quality check of what happened before. We will aim to complete your review in timely manner and provide an outcome within two months of receipt. At times, due to the volume of reviews and complexity of cases this timeframe may be exceeded. We will ensure any delay is kept to a minimum.

Please complete the online review form to submit your application. If you unable to complete the online form, you can download a hard copy to print and fill out instead.

For matters where the IOPC is the relevant review body, visit their website for more information about how to submit your application.

 

Making a complaint against the Chief Constable

The Police and Crime Commissioner is responsible for dealing with complaints directly relating to the actions, decisions or conduct of the Chief Constable.

If you wish to make a complaint against the Chief Constable’s personal involvement in a matter, please download the national complaints form, complete it and submit to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner via email or post.

Making a complaint against the Police and Crime Commissioner

Complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner are handled by the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel. For information about their complaints process, please visit the Police and Crime Panel website.

Accessibility

If you require any adjustments to support you to make a review application or a complaint, please let us know. You can call us on 01962 871595.