Refer to

9 March 2024 Met Police Complaints

Dear Mrs Myers,

I am contacting you in relation to the complaint you made to Police on 03/03/24.

Please find attached documentation explaining who will be dealing with your complaint.

Kind Regards,

Peter Singer

Police Constable – Peter Singer – Complaints Resolution Unit

Directorate of Professional Standards – Metropolitan Police Service

E-mail: feedback@met.police.uk

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Mrs Mervelee Myers 16 Alma Grove Bermondsey London SE1 5PY Directorate of Professional Standards Complaint Resolution Unit 40-42 Newlands Park, London SE26 5NF Email: Feedback@met.police.uk Your reference: Our Reference: PC/02268/24 Date: 08 March 2024 Dear Mrs Myers, Your complaint – our next steps I am writing in relation to the complaint you made on 03/02/2024 in relation to an incident involving the Metropolitan Police. I am sorry to learn of your experience and would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us. We have recorded your complaint using the reference number above. We have forwarded your complaint to the Professional Standards Unit at Central South (AS). A police officer or member of staff will be appointed by this team to deal with your complaint and they will be in contact with you shortly. In the meantime, if you have any queries relating to your complaint, please do not hesitate to contact: Central South (AS). Email – ASMailbox.Professionalstandards@met.police.uk

We are committed to: · Dealing with your complaint in a timely manner · Taking reasonable and proportionate steps to deal with your complaint · Keeping you informed of progress · Ensuring you are clear on how to escalate your complaint, if necessary More information about the police complaints process, can be found in the enclosed leaflet, Our Guide To Your Complaint, or by visiting the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) website – http://www.policeconduct.gov.uk. Thank you again for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. The Metropolitan Police is committed to building a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Yours sincerely, PC Singer Metropolitan Police DPS Complaint Resolution Unit GDPR – Any personal data submitted in the course of making a complaint will be processed and used to provide an outcome to that complaint. Any right to Review will mean that the MPS will provide that data to the Relevant Review Body for the purpose of conducting that review.

This guide explains the principles of our complaints system, how we handle complaints, and the possible outcomes. What can I complain about? If you think you have been treated unfairly by the police or the standard of service you received was unacceptable you have the right to make a complaint. A complaint can be made about the conduct of any person serving with the police, i.e. a police officer, police staff member, special constable, designated volunteer or a person contracted to provide services to the Met Police. You can also complain about how a police force is run. For example, you can complain about force-wide crime initiatives, the organisation of policing resources and general policing standards. There is no time limit for making a complaint. However, if you complain about something that happened more than 12 months ago, you should explain why you didn’t complain sooner. Who can make a complaint? You can make a complaint if: • You were directly affected by the behaviour of our police officers, special constables, members of police staff, volunteers or contractors. • Witnessed an incident – for example, you were present when an incident took place or were close enough to see or hear the incident (you cannot claim to have witnessed an incident if you have seen it on television or social media). • Have been adversely affected by the conduct or matter complained about – this means that the actions of the police have indirectly affected you, for example you have suffered any form of loss, damage, distress or inconvenience as a result of the 2 matter complained about, or you have been put in danger or otherwise put at risk of being adversely affected. You could be acting on behalf of someone in any of the people listed above – for example, a family member, friend, legal representative or any other person of their choosing. You may be able to make a complaint if you are a parent or guardian. Persons serving with the police force cannot make a complaint about incidents and officers in their own force. This does not mean they are unable to raise concerns, there are other ways to do this such as internal conduct investigations and the staff resolution process. This just means that they will not have the statutory rights of a complainant. What can you expect when you complain? You can expect: • Contact from us to get some further details • To be asked what you would like to happen • To be listened to and treated fairly • To be updated about the progress of your complaint • To be told the outcome of your complaint when it has been finalised • If your complaint has been formally recorded and you are not happy with the outcome, you can request an independent review How will my complaint be handled? By law all complaints against the police must be logged. We make an initial assessment of how your complaint may be dealt with and we will contact you to find out what you would like to happen. Your complaint may be dealt with in one of the following ways: • Early contact – A complaint handler will make contact with you as soon as possible after you raised your concerns. They may be able to provide an explanation or an apology, or other information to assure you that appropriate action is being taken. Their aim is to try and resolve your issues and create an environment for learning where people learn from mistakes made. • By investigation – If the complaint is serious enough to warrant disciplinary action then it will be investigated and an investigator will be appointed. 3 • In some circumstances, no further action may be taken. We’ll ask you how you’d like to be contacted, keep you informed on the progress, write to you to tell you the outcome and explain your right to an independent review. However we deal with your complaint, it is important to us. Will my compl

By law all complaints against the police must be logged. We make an initial assessment of how your complaint may be dealt with and we will contact you to find out what you would like to happen. Your complaint may be dealt with in one of the following ways: • Early contact – A complaint handler will make contact with you as soon as possible after you raised your concerns. They may be able to provide an explanation or an apology, or other information to assure you that appropriate action is being taken. Their aim is to try and resolve your issues and create an environment for learning where people learn from mistakes made. • By investigation – If the complaint is serious enough to warrant disciplinary action then it will be investigated and an investigator will be appointed. 3 • In some circumstances, no further action may be taken. We’ll ask you how you’d like to be contacted, keep you informed on the progress, write to you to tell you the outcome and explain your right to an independent review. However we deal with your complaint, it is important to us. Will my complaint be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)? When we receive your complaint, we consider whether it should be referred to the IOPC. The most serious incidents must be referred to the IOPC – whether someone has made a complaint or not. For example, if police actions result in a member of the public being seriously injured or dying: • while in custody • after they’ve had contact with the police • as a result of a police shooting • in a road accident involving the police We can also refer incidents to the IOPC if we have concerns, for instance about the conduct of our officers or staff. The IOPC can direct us to record incidents and then ‘call them in’. The IOPC may choose to investigate these cases themselves, independently of us. Further information regarding referrals to the IOPC can be found in the IOPC’s Statutory Guidance. How often will I be updated? Keeping you informed is one of our key priorities; our updates should be regular and meaningful. Our first update will be provided promptly, in writing, and, at the latest, within four weeks of the start of the handling of your complaint. Further updates will be provided at least every four weeks.

We aim to deal with complaints in timely a manner, however there is no time limit on how long we will take to deal with your complaint. The person dealing with your complaint should be able to tell you how long it is likely to take. 5 Who will be involved in dealing with my complaint? This depends on how your complaint will be handled. Your point of contact will be either a: • Complaint handler – if your complaint is being dealt with through early contact, or • Investigator – if your complaint is being investigated as there is an indication a criminal offence may have been committed or the behaviour may justify disciplinary proceedings. You may also see the role, ‘appropriate authority’ used in your complaint report. This is the person who assesses and makes decisions about your complaint at various stages in the complaint process. What are the possible outcomes? We will send you a report to explain how we have dealt with your complaint. If our service didn’t meet the standards expected, we will inform you of the action we are taking. Possible outcomes could include: • An explanation or apology for what has happened • Training to further develop our officers and staff • Making changes to our policies or procedures • Giving advice to the officer or person you have complained about so that their performance improves • Referring your case to the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS is responsible for deciding if criminal charges should be brought. • Referring the case for misconduct proceedings. • There may not be enough information to take action over your complaint. If this happens it may just mean there is not enough evidence available • In some cases, we may agree with you that something went wrong, but decide that no other action is appropriate How do we learn from complaints and dissatisfaction?

Learning from complaints helps to improve the way we do things and stop the same thing from happening again. As well as learning from individual cases, we use information from our complaints system to monitor performance and identify potential learning for us as an organisation. What if I am still unhappy? If we were dealing with your concerns through early resolution and you aren’t happy, we will record your complaint and appoint a complaint handler. If you are still unhappy after we have handled your complaint, you can ask for a review. Reviews are dealt with by either the Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) or the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The report we send you when we have finished dealing with your complaint tells you the review body for your complaint. You need to apply within 28 days or your application won’t be accepted, unless there are exceptional circumstances for the delay. The review will consider whether or not the handling of your complaint was reasonable and proportionate. Did you know? • The police complaints process has no means by which to deal with financial claims for compensation against the Met. Money cannot be awarded via the complaints procedure, regardless of the outcome. If you wish to seek compensation for something the police have done, please write to: Directorate of Legal Services, Metropolitan Police Service, 10 Lambs Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NR. Please be sure to include your full name and contact details, your case or report number (if applicable), the name or shoulder number of any Met officer, staff or volunteer involved and your reasons for claiming compensation. • The majority of complaints where mistakes are identified are resolved with learning and development after the complainant’s feedback has been taken on board. This is even more important under the new complaint legislation and the introduction of the Reflective Practice Review Process.

Legislation in relation to police complaints has changed from 1 February 2020 with the implementation of the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020. This allows for police complaints to be dealt with in a reasonable and proportionate manner and at the appropriate level. This supports both the efficiency and fairness of the complaints system. How can I find out more information? Further information can be found in the following documents: • The IOPC Statutory Guidance https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/statutoryguidance /2020_statutory_guidance_english.pdf • Police Reform Action 2002 • Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020