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Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel

The Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel is made up of a selection of volunteers who form a scrutiny panel looking at police complaints and highlighting good practice.

We are not currently recruiting for new panel members.

The Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel is chaired by volunteers and meets quarterly to randomly select and ‘dip sample’ complaints, assessing them for efficiency, fairness, transparency and service to the public.

Each quarter the Panel works with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and the police to review complaints and produce public reports.

To find out more about the local people on the Panel, view the Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints reports.

Aims of the Panel

The Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel consists of eight local panel members who represent their communities in Avon and Somerset.

Their aim is to ‘act as a critical friend’ by providing feedback on completed complaint files to the OPCC and the force’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) to ensure the police maintain a high quality approach to complaints which focuses on accountability, transparency and learning.

For further information about the aims and objectives, read the panel’s role profile (PDF) and Terms of Reference (PDF).

Who can join the Panel?

The panel is a group of independent volunteers.

Volunteers are required to be:

  • Over the age of 18 years old
  • Living or working in Avon and Somerset
  • Able to attend meetings during the day at Avon and Somerset Police Headquarters in Portishead.

All volunteers are subject to a police vetting check.

Serving or former police officers and staff are not eligible for this role to ensure there is no conflict of interest. 

Join the Panel

We are not currently recruiting for new panel members.

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