RENAMING the Independent Police Complaints Commission will not make any difference to how police officers view the organisation, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need them to be efficient and fast and get to the bottom of matters quickly so that the public can have confidence in it, the police can have confidence in it, and it is independent and that the independent part is not just a nametag,\u201d said Neil Bowles, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation.<\/p>\n
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will be reformed and renamed the Office for Police Conduct to “improve efficiency, drive more effective governance and make it more responsive to the public”, the Home Secretary has announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanging its name is not going to make much of a difference,\u201d added Mr Bowles. \u201cI can remember the Police Complaints Authority, and people criticising that for not being very efficient at dealing with complaints. It\u2019s an absolute necessity that, for both police and the public that we have an efficient service that looks into complaints against the police. \u201c<\/p>\n
Common criticisms at the moment for the IPCC are that it\u2019s not independent and also that the investigations just take way too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d concluded Mr Bowles. \u201cThe organisation takes far too long to finalise their\u00a0investigations; and keep officers waiting about the results of cases, especially when they\u2019ve got no case to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theresa May has concluded that “the IPCC\u2019s existing governance model is no longer suitable for the expanding organisation and in light of its enhanced role in the reformed police disciplinary and complaints systems, which will be overhauled as a result of measures in the Policing and Crime Bill”.<\/p>\n
On 7 March, the Home Secretary announced her intention to bring forward amendments to the Bill to create a new governance model for the police complaints body.<\/p>\n