Human Rights Law Clinic 2013-2014 Report on Independent Investigations of Police Violence
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
University of Bristol Human Rights Law Clinic 2013-2014 Report on Independent Investigations of Police Violence Richard Costidell, Esme Crofton, Eleanor Healy-Birt, Jahan Meeran and Lana Neil Edited by Richard Costidell (Director) and Eleanor Healy-Birt (Assistant Director) With the assistance of Professor Rachel Murray and Dr Elina Steinerte Contents 1. England and Wales, United Kingdom ........................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Legal Basis ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Composition ................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Independence ................................................................................................................. 2 1.5 Process of Handling Complaints.................................................................................. 2 2. Northern Ireland, United Kingdom .............................................................. 6 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Legal Basis ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Composition ................................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Process of Handling Complaints.................................................................................. 6 3. Australia (Federal Level) ............................................................................... 8 4. Victoria, Australia (Review of Former Mechanism) ................................... 9 5. New South Wales, Australia ........................................................................ 10 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 10 5.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 11 5.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 11 5.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 11 5.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 11 6. Buenos Aires, Argentina ............................................................................ 14 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 14 6.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 14 6.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 14 6.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 16 6.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 16 7. Uruguay ....................................................................................................... 17 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 17 7.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 17 7.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 17 7.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 18 7.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 19 8. Israel............................................................................................................. 21 8.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 21 8.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 21 8.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 22 8.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 22 8.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 22 9. South Africa ................................................................................................ 24 9.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 24 9.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 24 9.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 24 9.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 25 9.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 25 10. Assam, India ................................................................................................ 27 10.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 27 10.2 Legal Basis ................................................................................................................... 28 10.3 Composition ................................................................................................................. 28 10.4 Independence ............................................................................................................... 28 10.5 Process of Handling Complaints................................................................................ 29 Appendix 1: Complaints Procedure in England and Wales ......................... 30 Appendix 2: Key Investigative Bodies in Australia ....................................... 31 University of Bristol Human Rights Law Clinic 2013-2014 Report on Independent Investigations of Police Violence 1. England and Wales, United Kingdom 1.1 Introduction Police authorities in the UK are subject the important domestic legislation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and various international instruments. ‘Police authorities’ in the United Kingdom, means the tripartite system that currently operates between the Home Office, the local police authority and the Chief Constable of the force, all of which are accountable to Parliament through the Home Secretary. In an attempt to satisfy these duties, an independent body to oversee such complaints against police authorities was created in 2004: the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Its purpose is: To ensure suitable arrangements are in place for dealing with complaints or allegations of misconduct against any person serving with the police service in England and Wales1; and In doing so, to increase public confidence by demonstrating the independence, accountability and integrity of the complaints system and so contribute to the effectiveness of the police service as a whole2. These statistics shed some light on the scale and efficiency of the IPCC’s work: 30,143 complaints against officers were recorded during 2011/123 It took an average of 124 working days for the police to locally investigate an allegation, and could range from as little as 58 days to 2604 An IPCC supervised investigation, on the other hand, took an average of 306 working days5 86% of complaints are recorded within 10 days6 Misconduct proceedings are often circumvented by police officers retiring or resigning (approximately 200 per year)7 Activities of the IPCC are primarily funded through Grant-in-Aid from the Home Office; this fell from £35.365 million in 2010-11 to £30.741 million in 2014-15 (by 13%)8 1 Crown Prosecution Service, ‘Guidance on the Handling of Allegations of Criminal Offences Against the Police’ <https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/a_to_c/allegations_of_criminal_offences_against_the_police/> accessed 28 April 2014. 2 ibid. 3 IPCC, ‘Police Complaints Statistics for England and Wales 2011/12’ (2012) 5. 4 ibid, 6. 5 ibid. 6 ibid 13. 7 House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee ‘Eleventh Report of Session 2012/13’ (2013) 3. 8 ibid 12. Page 1 of 33 University of Bristol Human Rights Law Clinic 2013-2014 Report on Independent Investigations of Police Violence Estimated IPCC cost for the average independent investigation can range from £45,000 to £300,0009 33% of staff are former police officers10 1.2 Legal Basis The IPCC was established on 1st April 2004 under the Police Reform Act 2002. 1.3 Composition The IPCC is made up of one Chairperson, one Deputy Chair, 13 Commissioners, two Non-operational Commissioners, and approximately 80 investigators, plus administrators,