The College of Policing and the IOPC
The College of Policing, HMICFRS and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) – formerly the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) – have complementary statutory purposes, with slightly different powers and areas of focus. Our three organisations are collectively engaged in promoting and monitoring best practice and continuous improvement in policing, in order to ensure our police forces are performing to the highest of standards.
The College of Policing is the statutory body responsible for setting the standards for policing. HMICFRS and the IOPC are the two independent statutory bodies charged with oversight of the police in England and Wales, and in HMICFRS’s case, fire & rescue services in England.
In 2014, a concordat was agreed between our three organisations, setting out common understanding and approaches of each organisation in relation to each other, their roles and responsibilities, and in relation to our other activities.
Through the agreement, HMICFRS, the IOPC and the College of Policing commit to work constructively and effectively together by:
- regularly consulting one another on areas of mutual interest;
- sharing information and analysis as appropriate to promote timely, well-informed decision-making, to assist the planning and prioritisation of work;
- ensuring the data collection and inspection regimes for police forces minimise unnecessary bureaucracy and are the minimum necessary to meet the objective;
- promoting clarity over their roles and responsibilities, recognising their separate, discrete and complementary jurisdictions; and
- developing efficient working relationships between the three organisations.
Please note that this concordat was written and published prior to 2017/18, when substantive changes were made to the organisations involved. A new concordat was written and published in 2018 in accordance with these changes.
Concordats
Read the 2014 concordat
Concordat between the College of Policing, HMIC and the IPCC
Read the 2018 concordat
Concordat between the College of Policing, HMICFRS and the IOPC
Memorandum of understanding between HMICFRS and the College of Policing
This document specifies how both organisations intend to work together to support the joint aim of improving policing.