Uncertainty over future of Bedfordshire police complaints handling
Bedfordshire PCC announced this week that he is taking responsibility for the handling of complaints
Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) admits there's uncertainty over how complaints about the force will be dealt with in just over two years’ time after his office took responsibility this week.
John Tizard, Bedfordshire PCC announced on Monday he is taking responsibility for the initial local stage of receiving and managing police complaints, instead of the force dealing with it themselves.
The change is aimed “to resolve complaints quickly and effectively” and “make the process more effective, transparent, and independent”.
It comes despite the role of PCC’s set to be abolished when their term ends in 2028 under Government plans in order to ‘cut the cost of unnecessary bureaucracy’.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, John Tizard says “we don't know at this stage” how complaints will be handled when his term ends.
“The Home Office is still working out the proposals and the detail of the consequences of their decision to abolish.
“Handing of complaints may go back to the police, they may go to the new strategic police board that's going to be established, they may go somewhere else, we don't know at this stage.”
Adding: “Most of the functions undertaken in my office, and indeed every Police and Crime Commissioner’s office across the country, will continue even though the role as we currently know will go.”
The Police and Crime Commissioner hopes to make a difference in the meantime, saying “we have two years of establishing a very successful and very effective complaints handling service in Bedfordshire”.
He continued: “If we can demonstrate a good quality complaints handling service and I'm very confident that we will - not to suggest it wasn't a good service previously - we will demonstrate and establish a model that we will try to transfer elsewhere.
“What I want to do is get on and deliver over that period.”