YOU HAVE A VOICE

If you’re unhappy with how the police have treated you, you can make a complaint.

You have the right to speak up and be heard. You should not be made to feel dismissed, uncomfortable, or unsafe by the police.How to complain 

If you feel ready to make a complaint, you can do it in the way that works for you: 

Fill in the form on our website. You can access our website by scanning the QR code on the back of this leaflet. 

Call and ask us for a paper form or download and print one yourself. Complete it and post or email it back to us. Our phone number is also on the back of this leaflet. 

We will then send this to the relevant police service to deal with in the first instance. 

If you feel comfortable, you can complain directly to the police service involved. Most police services give you options to complain in different ways, like online, email, letter, calling 101, in person, or through someone acting on your behalf. 

If you need help, someone you trust can help you complain. 

What you can complain about

You can make a complaint about something involving the police that happened to you or if you saw it happen. Some examples could be:

You reported something to the police and you were unhappy with what they did or didn’t do.

Your partner, ex-partner, or family member works or worked for the police and they were abusive to you. Abusive could mean physically, sexually, emotionally, or financially.

You were in contact with the police, and they did something inappropriate, like adding you on social media, calling or texting you, visiting you, giving gifts, asking you to keep things secret, flirting, touching you, or being sexual.

When you complain, the police service you complained about will look into it first. This is so they have a chance to put things right. 

They should also ask you what you would like to happen, because your voice matters.