Apply for a Review
From the 1st February 2020, if you are unhappy with the outcome or handling of your police complaint, then you can submit an application for a Review to the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales. It’s very important that you apply for a Review to the correct organisation. North Wales Police should have written to you to tell where to submit your application for a Review. If you are unsure, please contact North Wales Police Professional Standards Department or our office.
Before you submit an application for a Review, we recommend that you read the information below.
When can you ask the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales for a Review?
If your complaint has been recorded under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which means that it has been considered and finalised by the Professional Standards Department, you have the right to apply for a Review of the outcome of the complaint. The Professional Standards Department will inform you of your rights within their outcome letter. That application must be made within 28 days of being sent the written outcome of your complaint.
The Review will consider whether the handling and/or outcome of your complaint is reasonable and proportionate.
Who can ask for a Review?
Only a complainant, or someone acting on their behalf, can make an application for a Review in relation to a complaint. You must have had written notification of the outcome of your complaint before you make an application for a Review.
What Reviews can be dealt with by the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales?
The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales is the relevant review body for the following complaints:
- Where the appropriate authority is North Wales Police
- Where the complaint is not about the conduct of a senior officer
- Where North Wales Police is able to satisfy itself, from the complaint alone, that the conduct complained of (if it were proved) would not justify the bringing of criminal or disciplinary proceedings
- Where the complaint hasn’t been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
All other applications for a Review should be dealt with by the IOPC.
Should you make an application for a Review to us incorrectly, we will ensure that your application is passed to the IOPC as soon as possible. Likewise, should you make an application to the IOPC that should be dealt with by the Police and Crime Commissioner they will send your application to us as soon as possible.
How can an application for a Review be made?
An application must be made in writing and state the following information:
- The details of your complaint;
- The date on which the complaint was made;
- Who dealt with your complaint;
- The date on which you were provided with the details about your right to a review
Alternatively, you may complete the attached Review Form.
What will happen once the application for a review is submitted?
If we are the correct organisation, we will acknowledge your application and ask you to confirm that all relevant information has been provided.
We will also contact the Force’s Professional Standards Department and ask them to provide any information they have about your complaint and how it was dealt with.
Once we have received all of the information from both parties, the information will be referred to an external and independent consultant who will conduct the Review. The consultant will refer their findings to the Police and Crime Commissioner who will make the final decision on the Review of your complaint. This decision will be communicated to you in writing, along with a clear and evidence-based rationale.
It is important to understand that we cannot reinvestigate your complaint, we can only assess how your complaint was handled and its outcome.
Please click here to read our Privacy Notice in relation to how we process information relating to complaints and reviews.