New name and governance to reflect IPCC’s wider remit

The Government is to go ahead with wide-ranging reform of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which will see a new structure, name and expanded role for the organisation.

Home Secretary Theresa May says the changes will improve efficiency, drive more effective governance and make the IPCC more responsive to the public.

A Crown-appointed head – to be known as the Director General (DG) – who makes decisions about investigations independently from Government will lead the organisation.

Governance of the new body – named the Office of Police Conduct (OPC) – will be provided by a unitary board, staffed with a majority of non-executive directors.

The DG, who cannot have previously served as a police officer, will be ultimately responsible for all investigations and casework decisions. They will also chair the OPC board.

The board will not be able to review or intervene in individual cases, but will provide strategic input and constructive challenge on the effective and efficient running of the organisation.

As part of the changes, Dame Sheila Drew Smith conducted an independent review of the government proposals, which were also subject to a public consultation.

Her recommendations will be included as an amendment in the Policing and Crime Bill – which received its second reading in Parliament on Monday (March 7).

The Government says the new name change reflects the reformed organisation’s expanding role in investigating serious and sensitive matters and the fact there will be no commissioners under the new model.

Home Secretary Theresa May said, while the vast majority of police officers and police staff discharge their duties with integrity and professionalism, when their actions fall short, arrangements must be in place to properly look into the conduct in question.

“I have concluded that the existing commission model, with commissioners having operational responsibilities, is no longer suitable to oversee the expanding organisation,” she said.

“At a time when the IPCC is growing as an organisation, it needs to be more streamlined, more responsive to the public, and better able to cope with the cases it is taking on.

“The IPCC is supportive of the need for reform and I am grateful for the input and co-operation of the current chair and chief executive during the development of these proposals.”

The IPCC had proposed a transformation into an ombudsman’ model supported by regional and deputy positions, similar to arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Dame Sheila rejected this proposal.

Consultation opinion was divided on whether the IPCC should be required to have a regional presence. Forty-nine per cent believed it should retain the flexibility to organise itself as it so chooses, while 46 per cent were in favour of making it a requirement.

The Government did not confirm whether it would introduce such a structure, but said it is “not convinced” legislation is needed to force a regional presence and that its proposals will “deliver the right regional presence for the reformed organisation through the existing framework agreement between the IPCC and the Home Office.”

The Home Office will remain the sponsor department for the OPC.

A triennial review of the IPCC, conducted by the Home Office and published in March last year, recognised that changes to governance were necessary to support a much larger organisation.

Responding to the announcement, IPCC Commissioner Dame Anne Owers said the proposals would change the organisation’s name but not what it does.

“For more than a decade, we have provided independent oversight of police conduct and police complaints, on behalf of the public. That vital work will continue,” she said.

Proposals to expand the remit of the IPCC to include all “serious and sensitive cases” were first announced by Mrs May in 2013 and powers to enshrine this expansion in law will be included in the Policing and Crime Bill.

Last month, Mrs May announced plans to overhaul the police complaints and disciplinary system, the