Complaints against police officers Stoke Newington police

Dear Ms. Marsh

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2011100003360
I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 21/10/2011.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

"I am writing to you under the FoI Act 2000. I would like to be sent a
list of complaints made to the IPCC against police officers at Stoke
Newington police station (address below)over the past two years.        

33 Stoke Newington High Street    
Stoke Newington    
N16 8DS        

I would prefer to receive this information electronically and would like
the list to include complaints made at the time of the London riots,
August 2011. "    

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act).  You will receive a response within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject to
the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party.  In some circumstances the MPS may be unable to achieve this
deadline.  If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact me at the above e-mail address, quoting the reference number
above.

Yours sincerely

R. Loizou
Policy and Support Officer
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
discuss the decision with the case officer that dealt with your request.  

Ask to have the decision looked at again –

The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to
telephone the case officer that is nominated at the end of your decision
letter.

That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and
assist with any problems.

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Dear Ms Marsh

Freedom of Information Request Reference No:  2011100003360

I write in connection with your request for information dated 21/10/2011
which was received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 21/10/2011.
 I note you seek access to the following information:

I am writing to you under the FoI Act 2000. I would like to be sent  a
list of complaints made to the IPCC against police officers at     Stoke
Newington police station (address below)over the past two years.
33 Stoke Newington High Street    
Stoke Newington  N16 8DS        
 I would prefer to receive this information electronically and would like
the list to include complaints made at the time of the London     riots,
August 2011.    

EXTENT OF SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
at the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS).

RESULT OF SEARCHES

The searches located information relevant to your request.

DECISION

In respect of your request for:
Complaints made against police officers  based at Stoke Newington:
For your information please see the attached document which contains a
description of the IPCC categories of complaint which are used to record
public complaints and internal allegations of misconduct.

I attach details of recorded allegations of misconduct for police officers
based in Hackney Borough during the period 01/11/2009 to 31/10/2011.
 Please note that Hackney borough has 3 police stations which are Stoke
Newington, Shoreditch and Hackney.  Due to the method used to record
information relating to public complaints and police discipline on the
database, it is not possible to isolate the cases which relate
specifically to police officers who are based at Stoke Newington police
station, therefore the information which follows relates to police
officers who are based at any of the police stations in the borough of
Hackney.

Please see the chart below which gives details of allegations recorded
against police officers based in Hackney borough during the period
01/11/2009 to 31/10/2010 broken down by allegation type and the allegation
result.  Please note that each complaint may contain several allegations
therefore the number of allegations may exceed the number of public
complaint cases.

*please see below a brief explanation of the results which are not self -
explanatory.

Not Recorded -  This is where following investigation into an
allegation/complaint against an officer it is found that the
circumstances/conduct which were subject to an allegation do not fit the
criteria for a recordable complaint under the Police Reform Act.
Local Resolution - This is where the complaint is dealt with locally and
with the agreement of the complainant. It can be by way of Desktop - i.e.
it is dealt with at the relevant police station or borough, or Management
- i.e. it is dealt with by DPS.

Dispensation - Where a force or a police authority considers that no
action should be taken about a complaint (this is before a local
resolution or an investigation has started) they must get IPCC agreement
for a dispensation.
Grounds for dispensation are where:

* More than 12 months have elapsed between the incident giving rise to
the complaint and the making of the complaint, and either that no good
reason for the delay has been shown or that injustice would be likely
to be caused by the delay.
* The matter is already subject of a complaint.
* It is not reasonably practical to ascertain name or address of a
complainant.
* Complaint is vexatious, oppressive or otherwise an abuse of the
procedures for dealing with complaints.

Please see the chart below which shows the misconduct sanction imposed on
the officers who were found to have a case to answer or the allegation of
misconduct was substantiated.

Formal Action: Written Warning. Under the updated Police Conduct
Regulations 2008, management can impose this sanction without the
agreement of the officer. The written warning is valid for 12 months and,
if during that period the officer has another misconduct matter they may
be given either a final written warning or else referred to a Misconduct
Hearing managed by DPS.  
Management Action: This refers to anything that can be locally resolved to
address the misconduct of an officer and can include:

* Pointing out how the behaviour fell short of the expectations set out
in the Standards of Professional Behaviour.
* Identifying expectations for future conduct
* Establishing an improvement plan
* Addressing any underlying causes of misconduct.

Please see the chart below which gives details of allegations recorded
against police officers based in Hackney borough during the period
 01/11/10 to 31/10/11 broken down by allegation type and the result of the
investigations into the circumstances which led to the allegations of
misconduct.

Please see the chart below which shows the misconduct sanction imposed on
the police officers who were found to have a case to answer or the
allegation of misconduct was substantiated.

Of the 577 allegations which were recorded, 6 relate to the London riots.
 Please see the chart below which shows the allegation type and the result
of the investigations into the circumstances which led to the allegations
of misconduct.

I would also direct you to the MPS Misconduct Investigation Guide which
contains the Code of Conduct to which all police officers employed by the
MPS are expected to adhere. Further information describing the procedures
to be followed when investigating an allegation of misconduct and the
subsequent disciplinary procedures which may be invoked if necessary can
also be found within this document.  I attach the relevant internet link
below for your convenience.

http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/other_...

The MPS expects its staff to behave professionally, ethically and with the
utmost of integrity at all times.  Any instance where the conduct of our
staff brings the MPS into disrepute is treated extremely seriously in line
with MPS policy.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact Carol Conway on telephone number 0207 1616512 quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Carol Conway
Case Manager
In complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information, the
Metropolitan Police Service will not breach the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the
enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.  Applications
for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the
attached information should be addressed to MPS Directorate of Legal
Services, 1st Floor (Victoria Block), New Scotland Yard, Victoria, London,
SW1H 0BG.
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
discuss the decision with the case officer that dealt with your request.  

Ask to have the decision looked at again –

The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to
telephone the case officer that is nominated at the end of your decision
letter.

That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and
assist with any problems.

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).