The MPS complaints and feedback process (Reward and Resolution)

09/09
11 June 2009
MPA briefing paper 09/2009

This briefing paper has been prepared to inform members and staff. It is not a committee report and no decisions are required.

Introduction

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) receives service related complaints and compliments in a variety of ways: through visitors at police station front counters and telephone calls, e-mails and letters received locally. They may also be received centrally by the MPS Customer Service Unit (CSU) staff who will forward them to the appropriate Borough or Operational Command Unit for attention. Issues are investigated and resolved by a local manager but until now there has been no systematic capture of the organisational learning resulting from them.

The MPS Policing Pledge: Our Promise to the Public now describes the standards of service members of the public can expect when they have contact with the MPS and directs them to contact the MPS CSU if they feel that the service they have received has fallen short of those standards.

The MPS has developed a Reward and Resolution Process and Database to capture the feedback of its service users, monitor compliance with the Policing Pledge standards and ensure that good practice and opportunities for service improvement are identified. Nominated Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) throughout the MPS have access to the Reward and Resolution Database to record the receipt, progress and resolution of all service related complaints and compliments received locally.

Scope

The Reward and Resolution Process relates only to complaints from members of the public relating to the quality of service they have received from the MPS and does not include any complaints against individual police officers or members of police staff. If investigation of a quality of service complaint reveals a conduct issue, the MPS Customer Service Unit will inform the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) so that it can go through the DPS misconduct procedures.

How to access the system

MPA members and officers can access the system by contacting the MPS Customer Service Unit. Once the CSU has received a service related complaint they will monitor and co-ordinate its progression and will:

• Acknowledge it within 24 hours
• Record it on the Reward and Resolution Database
• Allocate it to the appropriate SPOC within the relevant Borough or OCU
• Liaise with local SPOCs to ensure that it is resolved in a timely fashion

Members of the public who feel that the MPS has not delivered the standards of service detailed in the Policing Pledge can also directly access the system by:

• Accessing the MPS internet site http://www.met.police.uk or
• Telephoning the MPS Customer Service Unit on 020 7230 4737 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm or
• Writing to the MPS Customer Service Unit, Room 822, New Scotland Yard, London SW1H 0BG.

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