What happens when you complain about the police

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

A complaint about the police goes to the force itself first. It must be recorded, it must be handled, and you must be told the outcome in writing. What it will not get you is compensation, that is a separate route.

Making the complaint

You can complain to the force directly, or through the IOPC, which will pass it on. Most forces now have an online form, which is usually the fastest way and leaves a record of when you submitted it. The complaint should say what happened, when, where, and what you say the police got wrong.

Our complaint letter builder puts that structure together for you, addressed to the force you pick. It stores nothing.

Recording

Complaints are handled under Schedule 3 to the Police Reform Act 2002. A force must record a complaint that falls within the statutory scheme, and it should confirm to you in writing that it has done so, along with who is handling it.

How it is handled

Not every complaint is formally investigated. Some are dealt with in another reasonable and proportionate way, an explanation, an apology, or an account of what happened and why. That is permitted by the scheme, and it is why the review stage exists: the question at review is whether the way it was handled was reasonable and proportionate.

The outcome

You must be told the outcome in writing, with reasons, and told about your right to apply for a review and to which body. How reviews work is set out here.

What a complaint cannot do

The complaints system does not award compensation. If what you want is damages , for a wrongful arrest, an unlawful search, or an injury, that is a civil claim, and it runs separately and to different deadlines. You can do both. The three routes are set out here.