How police complaint reviews work, and who reviews what

Last updated 2026-08-29 · Published by PoliceComplaint.com

If you are not satisfied with how a force handled your complaint, you can apply for a review. It is worth doing: nationally 24.5% of completed reviews found the force's own outcome was not reasonable and proportionate.

Who carries out the review

There are two possible reviewing bodies, and which one applies depends on how your complaint was handled:

• Your local policing body, in most areas the Police and Crime Commissioner's office, reviews most complaints.
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct reviews complaints in certain categories, broadly the more serious ones and those that were subject to a particular kind of investigation.

You do not have to work this out yourself. The decision letter the force sends you at the end of your complaint must tell you which body to apply to and by when. Applying to the wrong one does not usually destroy your complaint, but it costs weeks.

What a review actually decides

A review does not re-run the investigation. It asks whether the outcome the force reached was reasonable and proportionate. That is a narrower question than whether you were treated badly, which is why the outcome of a review is not the same thing as a finding against an officer.

If the reviewing body decides the outcome was not reasonable and proportionate it can make recommendations to the force, including that the complaint be reconsidered.

How often it works, by force

The rate varies enormously. The highest force in the published figures has its outcomes overturned roughly six times as often as the lowest. See every force ranked, or compare any two.

Time limits

There is a deadline for applying for a review, and it is stated in the decision letter from the force. Deadlines for bringing a civil claim are different again and depend on what kind of claim it is. If you think you may have one, read the three routes and get advice early rather than late.