Independent Police Complaints Commission
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| Abbreviation | IPCC |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 2004 |
| Legal status | Non-departmental public body |
| Purpose | Complaints about the English and Welsh police forces |
| Location |
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Region served
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England and Wales |
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Membership
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12 commissioners |
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Chair
|
Anne Owers |
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Main organ
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The Commission |
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Parent organization
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Home Office |
| Website | www |
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.
The IPCC was formally founded on 1 April 2004, replacing the Police Complaints Authority (PCA). Funded by the Home Office, the IPCC operates under statutory powers and duties defined in the Police Reform Act 2002. It is independent of pressure groups, political parties and, in principle, of government.
It can also elect to manage or supervise the police investigation into a particular complaint and will independently investigate the most serious cases itself. While some of the IPCC's investigators are former police officers, the commissioners themselves cannot have worked for the police by law. It has set standards for police forces to improve the way the public's complaints are handled. The IPCC also handles appeals by the public about the way their complaint was dealt with by the local force, or its outcomes. The IPCC was given the task of increasing public confidence in the complaint system. It aims to make investigations more open, timely, proportionate and fair.
Since April 2006 the IPCC has taken on responsibility for similar, serious complaints against HM Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency in England and Wales. In April 2008, it additionally took on responsibility for serious complaints against UK Border Agency staff.
The statutory powers and responsibilities of the Commission are set out by the Police Reform Act 2002, and it came into existence on 1 April 2004, replacing the Police Complaints Authority. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), funded by the Home Office, but by law entirely independent of the police, interest groups and political parties and whose decisions on cases are free from government involvement.
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