POLICE are changing the way complaints are handled.
New legislation means the final review of a complaint made by the public will be conducted outside of Warwickshire Police.
Previously they were held within the force but now the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner or the Independent Office for Police Conduct will carry out the work.
The reform also includes ‘reflective practice’ to encourage learning and change when things go wrong for minor mistakes.
But ‘robust action’ is still promised against those for serious misconduct.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “The public rightly expects the police service and those who serve in it to demonstrate the highest standards of integrity at all times and it is vital that the system that deals with complaints when things go wrong is robust but fair, offering timely resolutions which ensure that the service overall learns and improves from its mistakes.
“These reforms have been a long time in development and will mean that serious misconduct continues to be robustly tackled as now, while also helping to resolve more minor issues in a more timely fashion and, hopefully, to the greater satisfaction of all.
“I think it will provide greater reassurance to the public that in these cases, the process for new complaint reviews will now be independent of the force.”