Survey of MPS complainants 2020/21

The Mayor’s Action Plan for improving Transparency, Accountability and Trust in policing committed to deliver a complainants survey to better understand the public’s experience of the complaints system.

The Government reforms to the police complaints system took effect in February 2020 and are focused on ensuring the accountability and accessibility of the police complaints process. Aside from our oversight responsibilities as a local policing body MOPAC also have an integral role to play in the police complaints systems as a Relevant Review Body (RRB) for those complainants dissatisfied at how the MPS have handled their case.



In late 2020, MOPAC and officers from the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) worked in collaboration to carry out a survey of those members of the public who had submitted a complaint to the MPS over the previous 12-month period.



By gathering views on the experiences of those who have complained to the MPS we aim to identify learning opportunities that will improve the service that the MPS provides. A strong learning culture is extremely important to securing and maintaining public confidence in the police service.



The initial phase of this survey was completed in December 2020. Our analytical focus has been on identifying any areas of the complaints process that members of the public have found difficult to understand or navigate, or where the MPS response has otherwise not met their expectations.



MOPAC and MPS officers are working together to explore specific issues that respondents have raised and identify opportunities to improve the accessibility and transparency of the MPS complaints system. Some administrative processes will now change as a result. The MPS will also seek to provide clearer guidance to the public around how complaints will be handled and how outcomes have been determined.

The MPS have committed to four key areas in which they will review their handling of complaints following the feedback received from complainants and MOPAC will monitor delivery. These are as follows:

1. MPS to review its approach to the workflow and governance of all public complaints and conduct matters.
2. A review of MPS speed of response to complainants. The MPS are seeking to develop an early contact model to contact all complainants in person within 48 hours to ensure that complaints are correctly documented and deal with matters raised promptly.
3. The introduction of a portal to the MPS website that will document learning that has resulted from complaints or investigations.
4. An overhaul of DPS letters and communication with complainants focused on removing complex legal explanations and police terminology to better inform the public and support their understanding of the complaints process.

The complainant survey is an invaluable tool. It can provide us with an insight into the level of public confidence in the MPS complaints process and also pinpoint those areas where improvements could be made. In line with the commitments set out in the Mayor’s Action Plan (2020) on Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing we will also be reviewing survey responses to observe whether there is any evidence pointing to disproportionality in the handling of complaints.

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who kindly took the time to respond to the survey.