HL Deb 26 April 1982 vol 429 cc772-3WA
Lord Brockway

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they were satisfied with the judgment of the Police Complaints Board which last year recommended only 39 cases for discipline arising from 16,789 complaints, and whether they have plans to revise the complaints procedure.

Lord Elton

The Police Complaints Board is an independent body and it would not be right for me to comment on its decisions in individual cases. However, I should point out that, in addition to the 39 complaints in respect of which the board recommended disciplinary charges in 1981, 190 complaints were submitted to the board where deputy chief constables had already decided to prefer charges, and a further 1,526 complaints (about 9 per cent. of the total) resulted in the officer concerned being given advice or a warning by a senior officer.

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary said in response to the Scarman Report that he would bring forward proposals for reform of the complaints procedures in England and Wales. Before doing so he will wish to take into account the report of the inquiry into police complaints and related matters being conducted by the Select Committee on Home Affairs in another place.