The Independent Office for Police Conduct now completes 83% of investigations within 12 months, but the Chair of Cleveland Police Federation says this is not good enough.

Paul Crowley said that the figure – which comes from the IOPC’s latest annual Impact Report – is “nowhere near the mark that we should be seeing”. He added: “All investigations should be completed well within 12 months.”

Paul continued: “The impact that protracted investigations have, not just on the officer themselves but on their families, their colleagues, and potentially the community while they’re off the streets, is incredible.

“Conduct Regulations stipulate that an investigation should be completed within 12 months, and if it isn’t an explanation needs to be given. So we shouldn’t be looking at the 83% of investigations that are being completed within 12 months, rather we should look at the 17% of investigations that aren’t completed.

“The last incident that I dealt with with the IOPC took almost six years to see its conclusion. Anyone under investigation for that length of time, regardless of what they’re under investigation for, is going to be hugely impacted.”

He added: “The Police Federation continues to push for time limits for investigations, and it will always advocate for any investigation to be brought to a swift and speedy conclusion, just the same as if it was a member of the public under investigation. We will continue to push for that, not just from the IOPC but also from local investigations.”