Policing
Police Complaints and Discipline
This is the last bulletin on Police Complaints and Discipline to be published by the Home Office. It deals with complaints, breaches of conduct and discipline charges against police officers for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.
Title: Police Complaints and Discipline England and Wales, 12 months
to March 2004
Author: Judith Cotton
Series: Home Office Statistical Bulletin 17/04
Date published: November 2004
Number of pages: 20
Availability: Download
full statistical bulletin 
PDF 252 Kb
Main findings
The police received 15,885 cases of complaint in the 12 months to March 2004, a rise of 4% over the previous 12 months.
more than a quarter of complaints related to accusations of assault by the police
overall 43% of complaints related to oppressive behaviour of one form or another.
During the year to March 2004, 69% of individual complaints dealt with were informally resolved, withdrawn or dispensed with.
7,761 individual complaints required investigations in the 12 months to March 2004, an increase of 7% over the previous 12 months.
961 complaints were substantiated (or proven) in the 12 months to March 2004, 2% more than the previous year. Of these:
58% of all proven cases involved a failure in duty
21% were concerned with oppressive behaviour
there were only 8 complaints of racially discriminatory behaviour, 1 less than in the previous year
89 proven complaints resulted in either misconduct or disciplinary proceedings, the lowest since 1994
the remaining complaints were dealt with by other means (e.g. police officers received formal interviews with senior officers and received advice on their future conduct).
Disciplinary/misconduct allegations were proved against 1,545 officers in the 12 months to March 2004. For 160 of these officers charges related to complaints from members of the public. As a result of disciplinary/misconduct allegations, 95 officers were dismissed or required to resign, a decrease of 17% over the previous 12 months.
In 2003/04, 177 officers were convicted of criminal offences, 9% fewer than in 2002/03. 69% were for traffic offences.
Last update: 03 December 2004