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Professional Standards Department

The Professional Standards Department deals with complaints made against Guernsey Police.

 

MAKE A COMPLAINT

Making a complaint about the conduct of an individual police officer (which includes 'B' Division Constables).

  • What can I complain about

    • Under the Law a member of the public can complain about the conduct of a police officer. If you think that a police officer has behaved incorrectly or unfairly, you have the right to make a complaint.
    • Expectations about the behaviour of police officers are set out in the Standards of Professional Behaviour. These expectations include requirements to:
    • Act with honesty, integrity, fairness and impartiality
    • Treat members of the public and their colleagues with respect
    • Not to abuse their powers and authority
    • Act in a manner that does not discredit or undermine public confidence in the Police Service
    • If you feel that they have not met these standards you can make a complaint. These types of complaint are dealt with under The Police Complaints (Conduct Proceedings and Investigations) (Guernsey) Regulations, 2011.

  • How do I make a complaint?

    • There are several ways to make a complaint:
      • In person by visiting the Police Station, located at the below address
      • By post: Professional Standards Department
        Guernsey Police
        Hospital Lane
        St. Peter Port
        GY1 2QN
    •  
      • This email address is only to be used to complain about the conduct of a member of our staff
      • By Telephone - please call (01481) 222222
    •  

  • How will my complaint be dealt with?

    • An initial assessment will be made of your complaint and depending on the facts a decision will be made as to how it should be dealt with:
    • Informal Resolution
    • This is an informal approach to resolving complaints. It allows the Police to learn lessons and improve the way they do things. Many people prefer their complaint to be dealt with this way. However, the police cannot informally resolve a complaint unless you consent to it.
    • Formal Investigation
    • In more serious cases or where you do not agree to informal resolution, your complaint will be investigated and the Police Complaints Commission (PCC) notified. You may have to be interviewed and provide a written statement. In cases where the allegation amounts to a criminal offence then a report will be passed to the Law Officers to decide if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute.
    • If there is sufficient evidence to support a disciplinary charge then formal proceedings may be taken against the police officer concerned. It may be necessary for you to attend a hearing to give evidence.

  • Appealing against the way the police have handled your complaint.

    • If you have made a complaint against the police and you are not happy with the assessment, you may be able to appeal to the Police Complaints Commission on the grounds that:
    • (a)    You have not been provided with sufficient information as to how the outcome was reached
    • (b)    You do not agree with the outcome 

  • The role of the Police Complaints Commission

    • The Police Complaints Commission (https://gov.gg/PoliceComplaintsCommission) has been established by Law to provide an independent oversight to certain complaints against police. Its members are all members of the community who have never been police officers and are not employed by the States.
    • The Commission has a duty under the Law to supervise all complaints involving death and serious injury and a discretion to supervise all other complaints that have not informally been resolved.

  • Victim's Right to Review

    • If you have been a victim of a crime in which the outcome of the investigation by Guernsey Police/Guernsey Border Agency is to take no further action, you can request a further review of that decision where a named suspect has been identified.
    • On occasion, investigating officers may decide there is insufficient evidence to take action against a named suspect or that to take further proceedings would not be in the public interest. In such circumstances, officers will keep you updated on the investigation process and will explain in detail why they will not be taking further action.
    • If you are not happy with this outcome and you would like to see an investigation taken further, you can request that a senior officer formally reviews your case. This officer is usually a rank above that of the original supervisory officer or the original decision officer in a case. This is known as Victims' Right to Review (VRR).
    • You can read more about the Victim's Right to Review procedures in the policy which is available in the downloads section of this webpage. The policy also details what cases cannot be reviewed.
    • In order to request a review of a BLE decision not to prosecute, contact should be made with the BLE Crime Management Unit (CMU). Our CMU will access your request to ensure that it qualifies for this process and if so allocate the review to an appropriate senior officer. The CMU can be contacted on CMU2@guernsey.pnn.police.uk or via 01481 222 222.
    • Read the Victim Right to Review Policy here: pdf icon Victim Right to Review Policy [771kb]

  • Fair Processing Notice

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