Police integrity and professional standards under the spotlight at Commissioner's public forum

Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

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Greater Manchester Police will be quizzed on integrity, professionalism and public confidence in the complaints process later this month at Rochdale Town Hall.

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jim Battle will question Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy and the head of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch on how the police deal with complaints at a public forum on Tuesday 15 October.

This is the latest in a series of new-style public forums being held by Tony, as part of his promise to hold the police to account. A similar format to the select committee process held in parliament, this session will allow for an in-depth look at GMP’s complaints system and how it can be improved, along with wider issues on police integrity and standards of service.

Tony said: “Revelations surrounding the Hillsborough tragedy and the Stephen Lawrence inquiry Police have had a major impact on public confidence in the police, highlighting genuine concerns around integrity, professionalism and accountability.

“There are also issues of lack of confidence in the complaints system and I have received correspondence from members of the public who are not happy with the way GMP have dealt with their complaint and feel they have been fobbed off. This forum will allow senior officers to explain how GMP deals with complaints, reassure the public about what checks and balances are in place to maintain the independence and robustness of these investigations, and look at wider issues of professionalism and integrity. We will also explore how things can be improved.

“Making a complaint to the police about poor service or incivility, for example, should be a straightforward process with a swift resolution but instead it’s shrouded in bureaucracy and creates barriers for the public who are already unhappy. That’s why I’m working with the Chief Constable to increase the effectiveness of the complaints system to strengthen the openness, integrity and accountability of policing, and this forum will help to inform this work. Achieving this is a fundamental building block to improving public confidence.”

The forum, which is open to the public to observe, takes place in the Council Chambers at Rochdale Town Hall, at 2pm on Tuesday 15 October.