Complaints

A quite frightening amount of our time is taken up by complaints - that is, members of the public complaining that the police did something wrong.

Having come to the police later in life, after working in business, I understand how important complaints are.  I know the tired old statistic that happy customers don't tell anyone they were happy, and that unhappy customers tell 10 people they were unhappy.  I happen to believe that statistic.

It's especially important that the police understand that statistic because we depend on public confidence.  Policing is all smoke and mirrors: there are not enough police officers to make the public do what we want them to do, it's all down to trust.  If everyone decided to break the law on the same day, we'd be buggered.

Like everything else in policing though, you approach something with the high intentions that I've outlined above and come against the blank grey wall of petty criminality.  I especially like it when criminals' mums call in.

Like I said, complaints are important: so an Inspector deals with them.  An Inspector even deals with them when Johnny Criminal's mum phones in to say, "I didn't like the way PC Smith spoke to Little Johnny when he arrested him!"

The Inspector then has to review the Control Room record, the Custody record, PC Smith's Pocket Note Book, speak to everyone and see if the complaint is justified.

Everyone involved in the arrest knows that Johnny Criminal is an appalling little scrote who would burgle his own Gran if only she hadn't moved to Spain to get away from him.  Express that opinion out loud though, and you're fucked.

I just wish the Police as a body had the balls to give calltakers (or Sergeants, at a push, but not Inspectors) the power to say, "But Mrs Criminal, your son *is* an appalling little scrote, and while I'm sorry PC Smith used bad language, upon reading the log I can see that the officer concerned was quite right to put him in leg restraints before he killed his girlfriend and I am therefore treating your complaint with the contempt it deserves."

The calltakers should have the power to send appropriate complaints to Inspectors to be dealt with by an appropriate senior officer, and tell the rest of the compensation-chasing time-wasters to piss off back to the black hole they came from.