Police complaints statistics
Police force professional standards departments deal with the majority of complaints about the police. However, we investigate the most serious complaints and incidents and set the standards by which the police should handle complaints.
We collect information from all police forces in England and Wales about the types of complaints they are receiving and how long they take to deal with them.
Collecting this data is important. It develops our understanding of how different forces and local policing bodies are running the local police complaints system. It also allows us to identify good practice, trends and differences that we need to look into.
Each year, we publish statistics about the complaints that forces have logged. We also produce quarterly bulletins for all police forces.
Key findings for 2024/25
It is important to remain cautious when comparing the figures from this year to previous years, as the statistics are experimental, meaning they are still in the testing phase and not yet fully developed.
- The number of police complaints logged in England and Wales rose to 94,940 – an 11% increase on the total number logged in the previous year.
- Complaint numbers have increased year-on-year since the definition of a complaint broadened in 2020, consistently rising from the 67,732 cases reported in 2020/21.
- Through our oversight function, we have identified that this increase is at least in part due to some police forces implementing a broader recording and handling practice, resulting in a higher number of cases being formally recorded and therefore brought into the complaints system.
- We do however recognise that in some forces, recorded complaint numbers have reduced. Through our ongoing work with forces, we seek to understand the variations and fluctuations in the volume of complaints recorded and their handling.
- Of these 94,940 complaints, 32,172 were formally recorded under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002, 1% fewer than the previous year.
- Forces took an average of nine working days to contact a complainant after the complaint was made – three days longer than the previous year.
- Recorded complaint cases have taken longer on average to finalise, with those finalised under Schedule 3 taking 138 days compared to 133 days in 2023/24.
- Through our Oversight function, the IOPC continues to monitor performance across the complaints system and works to identify and share practices that support the timely and effective handling of complaints.
If you can't find the data you are looking for on this page, our previous complaints statistics are available on our National Archives site. If you have any queries about our police complaints statistics, contact our performance team.
