Direct Communications Unit

2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF

Switchboard 020 7035 4848 Fax: 020 7035 4745 Textphone: 020 7035 4742

E-mail: [Home Office request email] Website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

[FOI #29868 email]

Mr Derek Canning

Reference: T3879/10

29 March, 2009

Dear Mr Canning,

Thank you for your e-mail of 27/02/2010. Your request has been handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

You have requested information on who controls and investigates the shortcomings of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and where a member of the public can ask for an investigation into the IPCC.

The IPCC is the statutory guardian of the police complaints system and as such holds sole ownership of the police complaints system and the investigations that it undertakes. The IPCC is an independent body that is operationally independent of both police and the Home Office. This means that Home Office has no power to intervene in the IPCC's operations or influence their decisions, which can only be overturned in the courts through a process of judicial review.

The IPCCs work is scrutinised by Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC). The IPCC regularly publish their investigation reports, annual report, research studies, and complaint statistics in the public domain, which are available for the public to review on their website (www.ipcc.gov.uk).

The IPCC is not overseen by an Ombudsman, but if a member of the public wishes to make a complaint about the IPCC, they can do so to the Internal Complaints Manager. A complaint form can be downloaded complaint form (pdf 14k)
and sent to the IPCC using the contact details below.

Internal Complaints Manager
Independent Police Complaints Commission
90 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6BH

Email: [email address]

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request by submitting a complaint within two months to the address below, quoting reference CR14506. If you ask for an internal review, it would be helpful if you could say why you are dissatisfied with the response.

Information Access Team

Home Office
Ground Floor, Seacole Building

2 Marsham Street

London SW1P 4DF

e-mail: [email address]

As part of any internal review the Department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. If you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you would have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours sincerely

S Muir