Super-complaints
Police super-complaint system
In 2018, under The Police super-complaints (Designation and Procedure) Regulations 2018, 16 organisations were appointed by the Home Office to become ‘Police super-complaints: designated bodies’. These bodies can raise issues or concerns on behalf of the public about a feature or features of policing in England and Wales, which is, or appears to be, significantly harming the interests of the public.
Super-complaints are designed to capture systemic issues in policing, rather than complaints about individual forces or officers, and are separate from existing police complaints systems.
This system covers the:
- 43 police forces in England and Wales
- National Crime Agency
- British Transport Police
- Civil Nuclear Constabulary
- Ministry of Defence Police.
HMICFRS is responsible for managing the system and works with the Independent Office for Police
Conduct and the College of Policing, which, together with HMICFRS, are the police super-complaint decision making bodies.
You can read more about police super-complaints, including our published reports on GOV.UK.
Service police super-complaint
In 2023, under The Service Police (Complaints etc.) Regulations 2023, four organisations were appointed by the Ministry of Defence to become ‘Service Police super-complaints: designated bodies’. These bodies can raise issues or concerns on behalf of the public about a feature or features of policing in one or more of the Service Police forces that is, or appears to be, significantly harming the interests of the public.
The system covers the:
- Royal Navy Police
- Royal Military Police
- Royal Air Force Police
- Defence Serious Crime Command.
HMICFRS is responsible for managing the system and works with the Service Police Complaints Commissioner, who is also a decision maker in this system.
How to contact us
You can email the team at policesupercomplaint@hmicfrs.gov.uk.