There are various routes to follow if you wish to make a complaint:
Making a Complaint about a Police Authority Member
The Police Authority's independent Standards Committee has responsibility for considering complaints that a member may have breached Durham Police Authority's Code of Conduct.
If you want to complain about the conduct of a member of Durham Police Authority you must submit your complaint to:
The Standards Committee
c/o The Monitoring Officer
Durham Police Authority
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UL
The Standards Committee can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a member. It will not deal with complaints about things not covered by the members' Code of Conduct. If you make a complaint to the Standards Committee it must be about why you think a member has not followed the code.
If you would like advice on this matter please contact Mrs Lesley Davies, Monitoring Officer, on 0191 3833502, who will be able to provide some advice, and if necessary, a form on which to submit your complaint together with an information leaflet.
Further Details
Please refer to our additional Complaints Procedure information which relates to making a complaint about a police authority member.
Making a Complaint about a Chief Officer
The Police Authority is responsible for investigating complaints against Chief Officers (i.e. the Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable) for all other officers please see the section below entitled The Constabulary. All complaints must be made in writing to the Chief Executive at the following address:
Durham Police Authority
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UL
Making a Complaint about The Constabulary
There is a dedicated section on the Durham Police website which includes all the information you need should you wish to make a complaint against the constabulary. Alternatively, you can visit the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s website for further information.
The Police Authority’s Complaints Sub-Committee has a duty under Section 15 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to keep themselves informed about prescribed complaints and misconduct matters. They do this by receiving reports from the Chief Constable and by ‘dip sampling’ complaints files.
Making a Complaint about The Police Authority
If you wish to make a complaint about the actions of the Police Authority, you can do so by contacting the Local Government Ombudsman on 0845 6021983 or by visiting the Local Government Ombudsman website. If your complaint is related to the actions of the staff of the authority, your complaint must in the first instance be referred to the Chief Executive Lesley Davies at the following address:
Durham Police Authority
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UL