The Professional Standards Department (PSD) exists to thoroughly
and impartially investigate all complaints made against Cheshire
Constabulary personnel by members of the public and other members
of the force.
Headed by a Superintendent, the department consists of highly
trained and experienced investigators, supported by dedicated
civilian staff. Our staff come from varied backgrounds and all have
undertaken a rigorous selection process before being considered
able to join the department.
The department is committed to delivering against the Policing Pledge, with particular emphasis
on treating you with fairness, dignity and respect and ensuring
that you have fair access to our services at a time that is
reasonable and suitable to you.
Investigations
All members of the Constabulary are required to live up to
nationally agreed standards of professional behaviour. Any breach
of these standards of behaviour may result in disciplinary
action.
Many less serious complaints can be resolved quickly by staff
without the need for a full enquiry, with the remainder being dealt
with by PSD investigators.
Very serious matters will be investigated by the Independent
Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who have their own non-police
investigators and the Constabulary will always co-operate fully
with the IPCC in these cases.
At the conclusion of any investigation a decision is taken as to
whether any member of staff has done anything wrong and, if so,
what action should be taken. This might, in serious cases, involve
a formal disciplinary hearing at which the person may be dismissed,
fined or given a reprimand. In most cases a hearing is not
necessary and a warning or advice will be considered a sufficient
sanction.
Lessons Learnt
It is most important for the Constabulary to use the information
gained from investigations to improve its service to the public.
PSD staff liaise closely with local police commanders to provide
them with a range of data, including trends analysis, numbers and
types of complaints recorded, as well as identifying staff
attracting more complaints than others. Such information enables
local commanders to address in a positive way any unprofessional
behaviour by their staff.
PSD staff attend meetings, training courses and seminars
throughout the Constabulary to raise awareness of these issues and
to ensure the lessons learnt are passed on to the widest possible
audience.
All members of the Constabulary are encouraged to help tackle
unacceptable behaviour by reporting wrong doing direct to their
supervisors and managers or by leaving details on a confidential
report telephone line. The Force has procedures to support
individuals who do the "right thing" and bring this unprofessional
conduct to attention. PSD staff also monitor the organisational
health of the Constabulary by various methods, including auditing
and checking specific aspects of work or procedures and seeking to
identify members of staff who, by their conduct, might be a present
or future risk to the Force.
Contact
The PSD can be contacted at the address below:
Professional Standards Department
Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters
Clemonds Hey
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 2UA
You can email the department at professional.standards@cheshire.pnn.police.uk or
fill out the online complaint
form.