§ 22. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in view of the fact that the honourable Member for West Ham, North, made a complaint to him concerning an alleged irregularity upon the part of certain policemen at Leyton Police Station, affecting one of his constituents, and when he promised an independent examination, the officer appointed for this investigation was himself from Leyton Police Station, where the com plaint originated; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThis matter was dealt with under the statutory procedure which governs the investigation of complaints against the police, and in the correspondence with my hon. Friend no undertaking was given that an independent inquiry would be held. A full account of the results of the thorough investigation carried out has been sent to my hon. Friend.
§ 23. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to ensure that when Members of Parliament are promised in dependent inquiries into allegations of 616W malpractices upon the part of the police, such investigations are not conducted by police officers from the same police station from which the complaint originated.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsI already have powers to direct, where necessary, that the investigation should be made in a particular case by an officer of another force. Normally, however, when a chief officer of police receives a complaint against an officer of his force, it is for him to decide, having regard to the nature of the complaint, whether to appoint an officer from another force, or another division, to investigate, or whether the complaint can appropriately be dealt with by an officer in the same division.