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?
How do I make a complaint?
How will my complaint be dealt with?
Appealing against the way the police have handled your complaint
The role of the Police Complaints Commission

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

Attend at the Police Station where you will be seen by a Sergeant or Inspector.

By post

Write to the following address:

Professional Standards Department,

Guernsey Police,

Hospital Lane,

St. Peter Port,

GY1 2QN

By Telephone

Contact direct on 719495

By E-mail

psd@guernsey.pnn.police.uk

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.

COMPLIMENT US ON OUR SERVICE

We are particularly interested in hearing about the occasions where we have provided an excellent service, which we can forward and use as an example of good practice.

Therefore, if you feel we have delivered to you a quality service please share your comments either;

By post