Policing Diversity — Managing Complaints against the Police
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X0207500205 |
| Date | 01 April 2002 |
| Published date | 01 April 2002 |
| Author | Peter C Kennison |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DR PETER C KENNISON
Lecturer in Criminology, School
of
Social Sciences, Middlesex
University, London
POLICING DIVERSITY -
MANAGING COMPLAINTS
AGAINST THE POLICE*
This study takes a critical perspective in exammmg public
attitudes towards police stop-and-search powers and, more
particularly, police misconduct. It shows how police account-
ability works through the formal and complex system of
complaints against police. It shows a system designed to
favour the police against the citizen. In the eyes of some
citizens this has tended to reduce the legitimacy of the com-
plaints process, which has led to its under use. Certain police
practices and services appear to impact more on diverse
sections of the public than it does on the white community. It
shows how aberrant police behaviour exposes some of
the sociological issues such as black over-representation in
public dissatisfaction and complaint statistics. The research
also highlights the hidden figure of police deviance and mis-
conduct.
This study acknowledges future changes in complaints
management proposed by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett
MP. However, these proposals do not appear to go far enough.
The complaints process is beset with a number of significant
problems which include inaccessibility, complication and ine-
quality. The study suggests, as the way forward, a model of
'good practice' using a pragmatic approach, which is
customer-focused and overcomes many of the problems that
allow for easy access, simplification and informality. The
principle of civil libertarian ideals prevails, satisfying the legal
notion, 'justice must not only be done but must be seen to be
done'.
Introduction
This study reviews research findings specifically on the issues of
stops/search, public satisfaction with police behaviour and com-
plaints against the police. The central purpose of the research
was to establish the attitudinal and behavioural relationship
between the resident population and the local police, in a given
area of London.
The Police Journal, Volume 75 (2002) 117
Further aims of the research included contributing towards,
both in its own right and together with other supporting evi-
dence, the formulation of policy on complaints management. The
police are the gatekeepers of the criminal justice system and,
according to some traditionalists, do so by public consent. Others
argue that post facto analysis of individual action is inadequate
and suggest they are a largely unaccountable organisation. Com-
plaints are an expression of public dissatisfaction, which police
view negatively as irritating and diverting them away from their
daily task of policing the streets.
Police deviance has always been considered to be of major
public concern. An accountable police officer is one who can be
trusted by the public, one whose actions are the subject of
rigorous scrutiny and swift punishment if substantiated (Lea &
Young, 1984). This places a great burden on the already beleag-
uered complaints system, so getting this right is a high priority.
In this article I will argue that there is much in the system,
which is good and should be retained. However, the remainder
fails to address the issues, satisfy the complainant and deal with
the flawed discipline and complaints system.
In my view the recent new managerialist methods conflict
with the expression of public opinion and debate because new
liberal styles fail to acknowledge faults in the system such as
under-use, prejudice and equal opportunity in terms of race,
class, religion and social exclusion. Public confidence in the
police complaints system needs restoring not only in respect of
serious matters but also in respect of minor infractions. Public
cooperation is sought from police to help fight crime at one level
(eg Crime and Disorder Act 1998), whilst on another, police
complaints are stymied by a secret, hidden and covert system
which lacks any form of local police accountability, response or
support. The public perception is of a clandestine complaints
system, which is shrouded in mystery and obfuscates openness,
honesty and integrity. This poses the question why the public
should cooperate with police on crime-fighting matters when
they are excluded from any form of ownership of the complaints
process. This presents a challenge for management who have,
via post-Scarmanist strategies, expressed 'Community consulta-
tion' as an overriding principle for police, yet police managerial
strategy is for greater control of discipline and complaints and
not a diminishing of this position. Here is where the problem
lies: not so much with the police willingness and enthusiasm to
deal with complaints but in their reluctance to step backwards
and allow civilian independent investigation and decision mak-
118 The Police Journal, Volume 75 (2002)
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