Force’s independent police complaints unit ‘could cause conflict’

North Yorkshire Police will move its professional standards unit away from the control of the force’s chief constable to tackle the widely-held belief that the police are allowed to investigate themselves.

The scheme designed to restore public trust, which was devised by police and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan, will see a new Independent Complaints, Standards and Ethics Office led by a civilian former police officer.

The county’s branch of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, says the proposals will create friction over who deals with the fallout from complaints and misconduct allegations.

A written response to Mrs Mulligan’s proposals said: “There are obvious conflicts with statutory responsibilities that fall to the delegated authority.

“For example, those responsible for conducting an investigation may believe that it is necessary for an officer to be suspended from duty but the deputy chief constable may hold a different opinion, who will have primacy?

“Will the public have any greater confidence in complaints handling by a department under the control of an elected police and crime commissioner than one under the control of a chief constable appointed by them?”

In 2011, North Yorkshire chief constable Grahame Maxwell was given a written warning for disreputable conduct after helping a relative gain unfair advantage in a police recruitment drive.

His deputy, Adam Briggs, who has since retired, was found to have helped a relative get a job during the recruitment exercise when he received “management advice”.

Mrs Mulligan said she wanted as many complaints as possible to be dealt with locally under the new scheme, rather than being referred to the IPCC.

She told the Yorkshire Post last month: “North Yorkshire Police has an excellent track record, one of the best police complaints offices in the country. But we need to address the fact and perception by the public that the police investigate the police.”

The federation has also questioned the proposal in the light of Government plans to hand over resources from local professional standards teams to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced plans earlier this year to increase the IPCC’s capacity so it had the ability to investigate all serious complaints.