Complaints made to Staffordshire Police rise 15 per cent in a year, new figures show

But according to Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams, this is good news.

In 2021 there were 1505 complaints made to the force. This has increased to 1729 in 2022.

The most common complaint is police action following contact.

The complaints normally relate to the public not being given updates after reporting a crime.

A number of changes have been made in the past year into handling complaints.

A new prevention and intervention officer has been employed within the Professional Standards Department, their job is to highlight trends and work with officers to highlight training opportunities.

Additionally there has been a dedicated triage team established, and it is its job is to handle all complaints against the force in which if the allegation was proven it wouldn’t justify a misconduct proceeding.

The commissioner is responsible for handling freedom of information requests and appeals that are made.

In 2022, 56 appeals were accepted, with eight upheld.

The most common outcome is “individual or organisational learning”.

A report submitted to Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel states: “Policing is under more scrutiny now than ever before, and members of the public are more likely to complain about the level of service they have received, by either an officer(s) or the force in general.”

The commissioner said: “The good news is that complaints are up and I am very happy to say that because there is a whole new push to get people to complain if they are not happy with the service.

“My own view is that it is the best way for an organisation to improve itself is to listen to the people they serve and ask for where they can be better.”

Mr Adams outlined reasons for the increase in complaints, including what is going on nationally, and the social media push that has taken place to encourage people to complain if they are unhappy with the service.

He also spoke about the complaints over the Walleys Quarry protests and the handling of them.

He said: “The service received a lot of complaints and concerns about [Walleys Quarry]. I don’t see that going away.

“Protest seems to be a means of expressing ourselves that is more supported than it was. Again it’s a big drag on police resources but important that people can protest and we protect their right to do so, hopefully we can keep them safe as well.”