Complaints reach record high

The total, covering April 2025 to March 2026, is the highest since the organisation began collecting and analysing complaints data. Numbers have risen by 61 per cent over five years.

However, the IOPC cautioned against interpreting the increase as evidence of a corresponding decline in public satisfaction with policing, saying changes in how forces record complaints and the growing accessibility of the complaints system have contributed to the rise.

David Ford, the IOPC’s director of oversight and casework, said some forces had improved their recording practices, while others had introduced centralised systems that resulted in more matters being formally recorded.

He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in making it easier for people to submit complaints, particularly those who may previously have struggled to navigate the process.

Mr Ford said some forces had historically under-recorded complaints, while others were now formally recording matters that might not necessarily need to be treated as complaints.

The IOPC said it was working with forces to improve consistency in recording and handling complaints.

More than half of complaints (55 per cent) related to allegations of poor service, while 22 per cent concerned police powers and policy. A further 11 per cent involved accusations against individual officers or staff.

Discriminatory behaviour accounted for 5,061 allegations, equivalent to three per cent of the total. Of these, 2,398 related to alleged race discrimination, 1,116 to disability and 728 to sex discrimination.

Forces finalised 107,616 complaints during the year, an increase of 17 per cent on 2024/25.

Of these, 70,041 were resolved informally, while 37,575 were dealt with formally under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

Among complaints handled formally, 65 per cent had at least one allegation resulting in an explanation being provided. Seven per cent resulted in learning for an individual or force, while eight per cent ended with an apology or debrief.

The IOPC received 3,039 applications for reviews of complaint handling during 2025/26, a 25 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest annual total under the current legislation.

The watchdog completed 3,273 reviews, an increase of 62 per cent on 2024/25.

In 73 per cent of completed reviews, the IOPC found that the force had handled the complaint appropriately. In the remaining 27 per cent, it concluded that the handling or proposed outcome was not reasonable or proportionate.

Responses included returning cases to forces for further work, making learning recommendations, substituting the force’s findings or directing misconduct proceedings.

Mr Ford said the proportion of reviews finding complaints had been handled appropriately had risen from 60 per cent in 2022/23.

He attributed the improvement in part to the IOPC’s Right First Time initiative, which aims to help forces resolve complaints effectively at the earliest opportunity and reduce repeated investigations and reviews.

The watchdog said it continued to work with forces to identify good practice, improve consistency and ensure complaints were handled in a timely and proportionate manner.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “The IOPC has rightly acknowledged wider factors behind these statistics. Police forces are more accessible than ever before, including how the public can contact us or raise complaints, while technology is unquestionably helping more people engage in the complaints process.

“Police officers, staff and volunteers deliver an outstanding service every day. Crimes ranging from homicide and knife crime through to burglary and theft have shown sustained reductions.

“However, there is no doubt that our workforce and our service is under significant strain. Our latest national workforce survey found that 56 per cent of our people regularly feel physically exhausted, 45 per cent feel burnt out and nearly two-thirds regularly work beyond their contracted hours.

“Policing has taken on more responsibility and more complex work, while officer and staff numbers, equipment and tech have not kept pace.

“Major reform is long overdue, which is why I and other policing leaders will continue to advocate for the ambitious changes outlined in the government’s police reform white paper, to ensure we are set up to deliver the high quality local policing our communities expect and deserve.”