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The number of complaints against Northamptonshire Police has dropped significantly over the past year (April 2007-March 2008), from 695 to 500 - a fall of 28 per cent. There have also been substantial reductions in the three areas that attract the largest numbers of complaints:
· Assault and excessive force - down 19 per cent from 108 to 88
· Incivility, impoliteness and intolerance - down 28 per cent from 141 to 101
· Neglect - down 13 per cent from 177 to 153 The number of complaints received by the Force has fallen every month for the past five months, with only 29 complaints being recorded in March 2008 compared with 76 in March 2007. Detective Superintendent Charles Moffat, who heads the Professional Standards Department of Northamptonshire Police, welcomed the good news and said that part of the reason for the decline can be attributed to the all round improvement in the performance of the Force, which has complemented a robust monitoring and training process. "Within the Professional Standards Department we have put systems in place to improve the analysis of complaints and to learn the lessons from them to ensure that areas for improvement are identified and acted on. "I also think that this reflects the overall service improvements that Northamptonshire Police has made and the stronger ties we are building with the community through Safer Community Teams. "We will continue to learn the lessons from complaints and to give guidance to officers and staff for minor failings but will not hesitate to root out anyone responsible for serious wrong doing," Det Supt Moffat said. The Police Authority Performance Monitoring Committee has an overview of complaints against Northamptonshire Police and representatives visit the Professional Standards Department on a monthly basis to examine the files. Deirdre Newham, Chair of Police Authority said: "This is an area which the Police Authority monitors very closely. The Authority is pleased to note the reduction in the number of complaints and we are aware of all the good work being done both in terms of training and the lessons learned from previous complaints." News Source
http://www.northants.police.uk/ |
