Surrey Police Federation Newsletter: February 2021

4 February 2021

What to do when you are contacted by the IOPC or PSD or served with Regulation Notices

There are a number of reasons why you may be contacted by the local PSD office or by the IOPC. For example, it may be in relation to a complaint, as a witness or in relation to Regulation Notices being served to you.

In any event, Surrey Federation will always say to seek advice from the Federation, in all circumstances.

It may well be that a copy of an MDT entry / PNB entry can be provided or a simple response to an email would suffice, but let us help you with that.

We try to have a good working relationship with PSD as we know this benefits both sides. We know we can have professional discussions and negotiate throughout an investigation.

With regards to Regulation Notices, the Federation may be advised in advance that some are going to be served, and we may be with you at the time they are served. This is not always the case, so our overarching advice would be to sign receipt of them, say nothing and call the Federation as soon as possible.

We can then advise you as to whether legal advice can be sought and applied for (you will need to complete a form with us) and the next steps.

Regulation Notices protect you when PSD / IOPC are investigating an allegation. It provides you with information on what is actually being investigated, the Terms of Reference and the opportunity in obtaining proper advice before making any response.

We will then support you through the entire process, assisting you with written/ oral responses and ensuring that the timelines are kept to, as much as possible, to ensure a timely investigation takes place.

There have been occasions where the IOPC have made direct contact with officers indicating that they are witnesses to a matter they are investigating. Even in these circumstances Surrey Federation’s advice is to always seek advice from the Federation before responding. Even if you think you are being helpful, please always seek the professional guidance and protection of the Federation.

It has been known on a number of occasions in recent and past history that the status of a person can change with the IOPC, and could therefore find yourself being under investigation for the and your answers you gave as a witness, which are now being used in the case against you.

We know that when the IOPC are investigating a matter it can take a lloooonng time, but please do not be tempted try and hurry the process forward, by giving any response to the IOPC, UNTIL you have consulted the Federation.

I hope that you see the theme in this month’s article is to ALWAYS SEEK FEDERATION ADVICE BEFORE YOU RESPOND TO THE IOPC OR PSD.