Contact us

General enquiries

For general enquiries:

These channels are staffed during office hours, Monday to Friday.

HMICFRS is not a police force and therefore does not investigate crime. In the case of an emergency, please dial 999. To report crimes and concerns that do not require an emergency response please call 101.

Complaints and misconduct

Complaints about the police

HMICFRS does not investigate individual complaints or incidents, these will be looked into by your local police force or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

To read more about how complaints about the police are dealt with, please visit Our role in handling complaints and misconduct.

Complaints about the fire and rescue service

HMICFRS is an independent inspectorate defined under statute and is responsible for inspecting fire and rescue services’ efficiency and effectiveness and the way it looks after its people. We have no remit to deal with individual complaints about a fire service or any company associated with fire regulations.

If you did wish to raise a complaint against the fire service, responsibility for dealing with complaints rests with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO). Visit the LGO website for more information and details on how to contact the organisation – https://www.lgo.org.uk/

Complaints about HMICFRS staff

HMICFRS staff aim to carry out their work to the highest professional standard, in line with our purpose, values and objectives. This includes handling complaints carefully in an open and courteous way by investigating the matters raised thoroughly and replying as quickly as possible.

To submit a complaint:

  • Complaints should be set out in writing to the Chief Operating Officer within ten working days of the incident, with any supporting evidence attached.
  • HMICFRS will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within ten working days.
  • A senior member of HMICFRS staff who has no direct connection with the matter will consider the complaint and investigate if appropriate.
  • The Chief Operating Officer will usually provide a written response to the complainant within 30 working days.
  • Where the matter is too complex to be dealt with within this timescale, or it requires further investigation, the complainant will be informed and given a date by which they will receive a full response.
  • The final decision concerning the complaint rests with the Chief Operating Officer and there is no formal appeal process against this decision. It is of course open for complainants who are unhappy with the result of their complaint to raise the matter with Ministers or local Members of Parliament.

Please address all correspondence to:

Chief Operating Officer
HMICFRS
23 Stephenson Street
Birmingham
B2 4BH

Alternatively, email contacthmicfrs@hmicfrs.gov.uk with your complaint.

Social media

Twitter

You can follow HMICFRS on Twitter to get the latest updates on reports, inspections and activities. Follow

The HMICFRS Twitter Policy lays out guidance on how HMICFRS uses Twitter.

LinkedIn

You can also follow HMICFRS on , where you will find out about our work and any upcoming job vacancies.

Media enquiries

The HMICFRS Press Office is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. If you have a media enquiry, please:

Out of hours media enquiries

If you are a member of the press and media with an urgent query outside of normal Press Office working hours, please call 0300 071 6781 rather than sending an email.