Appeal against the outcome of a local resolution
Please note, this information is for anyone who made a complaint before 1 February 2020.
You may be able to appeal to us if you are unhappy with the outcome of the local resolution process.
Your appeal will be dealt with by the Independent Appeals Officer, who is a senior police officer, independent to the officers concerned in the complaint. In some instances your appeal will be dealt with by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, for instance if your appeal is against a senior officer.
The letter detailing the outcome of your local resolution will provide you with the correct appeal route.
You can appeal about the way the local resolution of your complaint was handled if the manager did not complete the agreed action plan.
You cannot appeal against the process of the local resolution. This means that you cannot appeal because you did not agree to local resolution or some point was not fully explained to you.
Making an appeal
You can complete an appeal against the local resolution outcome using our online form (click 'Start' below to begin).
All appeals must be received within 28 days of the day after the date of the letter from the Professional Standards Department providing you with the outcome of your complaint. This includes the time your letter spends in the post.
We may be able to extend this time period if you have very special circumstances and you can fully explain your reasons for asking for an extension.
We will send you a letter to tell you we have received your appeal form. Please note that during the appeals process we will not re-investigate your original complaint; we will review the outcome into your complaint.
If your appeal is upheld, we will instruct the appropriate authority about what it should do about your complaint. The appropriate authority must follow these instructions. We will tell you in writing about the instructions we give to the appropriate authority and explain what happens next.
If your appeal is not upheld, we will write to you explaining how and why we made our decision.
What to do if you need more advice
If you are still not sure what to do next or you need more information, you can contact the Independent Office for Police Conduct or an organisation such as your local Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also talk to a legal advisor.
Appeal against a local resolution
Click 'Start' below to go to our online form and submit an appeal.