MOPAC complaints

You should contact the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

You can complain directly to the MPS or through the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Their contact details can be located on their websites:

MPS

https://www.met.police.uk/

IOPC

https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/

Please note that any complaint made to the IOPC will be forwarded to the MPS for the MPS to consider.

The MPS may refer some complaints to the IOPC for it to consider – such as those relating to serious incidents.

Otherwise, the MPS should assess your complaint, contact you to ensure it is understood, and explain how it will be handled. 
There are two ways that the MPS may handle your complaint. These are known as under (otherwise known as inside) and outside of Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002 (Schedule 3 PRA).

Outside of Schedule 3 PRA

The MPS may be able to provide an explanation, apology, or other information to assure you that appropriate action is being taken. These and similar actions are typically used when handling a complaint outside of Schedule 3 PRA. You may not receive a written outcome when your complaint is handled in this way.

• Complaints handled outside of Schedule 3 PRA do not come with a right of review. 
• If your complaint was handled outside of Schedule 3 PRA and you want a right of review, you must ask for your complaint to be recorded under Schedule 3 PRA.
• The MPS must record your complaint under Schedule 3 PRA if you ask it to.

Under Schedule 3 PRA

If your complaint is more serious or needs extensive enquiries to address it, the MPS may need to formally record it under Schedule 3 PRA and consider it further. 

Complaints recorded under Schedule 3 PRA come with a right of review.

Investigations

If your complaint is recorded under Schedule 3 PRA, the MPS will consider whether it is reasonable and proportionate to carry out an investigation into your complaint or handle it otherwise than by investigation. 

While there are different requirements for each method of complaint handling, both will mean that your complaint has been considered.

Whether the MPS handles your complaint by investigation or otherwise, it should write to you to tell you the outcome and explain how you can request a review. 
 
Keeping you informed 

You must receive an update about your complaint at least every 28 days. 

The complaint handler should ask you how you would like to be kept informed. 

Right of review

Remember - You will only have a right of review if your complaint was recorded under Schedule 3 PRA. 

The MPS must record your complaint under Schedule 3 PRA if you ask it to.
 

If you are unhappy about the outcome of your MPS complaint, you may be able to request an independent review. For more information please visit our police complaint reviews page.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has a statutory duty to secure and maintain public confidence in the police complaints system in England and Wales and to ensure that it is efficient and effective.

To find out more about how the IOPC aim to ensure the police are accountable for their actions and lessons are learnt you can visit their website.

Alternatively, you can visit the MPS website for further information about how the MPS handles complaints.

The Mayor of London is committed to ensuring that the MPS have in place a complaints system which brings about improvements in policing and ensures that there is a framework for organisational learning when something has gone wrong.

To find out more about how MOPAC maintain effective local oversight of the MPS complaints system, and latest performance data, please see here.

To further our understanding of the complainant experience, and pinpoint where improvements needed to be made, MOPAC worked alongside the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) in 2020/21 to carry out a survey of people who had complained over the previous 12-month period.

You can find out more about the background to that work and outcomes of the survey here.

MOPAC is the Appropriate Authority that deals with complaints against the MPS Commissioner.

Should you wish to make a complaint about the individual conduct of the Commissioner please email MOPAC at [email protected]

The MPS Commissioner is accountable to MOPAC for the delivery of efficient and effective policing, management of resources and expenditure.

Expectations about the conduct of the Commissioner are set out in The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 as the Standards of professional behaviour.

These expectations include requirements to:

• Act with Honesty and Integrity
• Treat members of the public and their colleagues with Respect and Courtesy
• Not abuse powers and authority
• Act with fairness and impartiality
• Act in a manner that does not discredit or undermine public confidence in the police service

If you feel that the Commissioner has not met these standards, you can make a complaint.

If you prefer, someone can make a complaint on your behalf, but you must give your permission in writing for them to do this.

The Mayor, as the Relevant Officer Holder of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime are subject to the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012.

The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee has delegated its functions under these Regulations to the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Monitoring Officer.

We have a guidance document for how to make a complaint about the conduct of the Mayor as the Relevant Office Holder of MOPAC or the conduct of the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

If you wish to submit a comment or question about MOPAC, or are unhappy with the conduct of a member of MOPAC staff, please email [email protected] or write to us at:

The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, 169 Union Street, London SE1 0LL

We hope you have no reason to complain about the work of MOPAC: our customer service, policies or our staff. But, if you do feel unhappy please let us know and we will try to put things right.

Once your complaint has been received it will enter the three-stage MOPAC complaints process. If you are unhappy with our initial response you have the option of escalating your complaint further.

Stage 1

When the reasons for your complaint are clear and no detailed investigation is needed, we’ll speak to the member(s) of staff concerned to discuss your concerns. We will then try and get back to you quickly with any further information or an explanation.

Stage 2

Complaints about MOPAC staff requiring investigation will be passed onto the Head of Workforce and Professional Standards. They will seek to address your concerns with the individual or team(s) responsible, resolve any points of dispute or concern, and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent a similar problem occurring in the future. We will inform you of the outcomes of any action taken following your complaint or give you guidance on how to progress your complaint if it is outside our control.

Stage 3

If you are unhappy with the response that you receive at Stage 2 you can request that your complaint be referred to the MOPAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will further review the circumstances of your case. Again, you will be informed of the outcome of this investigation. The CEO will also advise you of any specific action taken as a result of your complaint.

We aim to deal with all correspondence and complaints equitably, but there will be occasions when individuals make unreasonable demands of MOPAC.

Our policy on dealing with abusive, persistent and vexatious correspondence and complaints outlines the circumstances when we may decline to investigate an item of correspondence or complaint.