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Dear Home Secretary,
You will be very busy but I urge you to read this letter.
It goes right to the heart of Justice in the UK which, in my opinion, is in a perilous position.
As you are aware, a complaint about police behaviour must be made to the IOPC. Legislation decrees that it must then be referred back to the force concerned. The PSD of that force examines the complaint. It decides whether to reject or uphold the complaint. A complainant can then, if not satisfied with the decision, appeal it to the IOPC, which then decides whether the PSD examination was sufficient. If it considers it WAS, that is the end of the process.
If it decides it WAS NOT, and upholds the appeal, it informs the Chief Constable and PCC of the force and that, again, completes the process.
There are dangers to this process. The PSD must be tempted to reject a complaint against its own force. Sometimes they may deliberately avoid proper investigation. The IOPC, knowing the Chief Constable does not have to take measures legally, may tend to reject appeals.
And everyone concerned, having over the years learned how to find loopholes in the law, will use excuses which, on the surface, appear to explain rejection. A coroner can refuse to reopen an inquest if the complainant is not a relative of the deceased. A police officer can justify “trawling” by making it appear that the person being trawled may be a “witness” instead of a “victim” (which can then emerge later). PSD and IOPC can UPHOLD complaints, knowing most complainants will leave it there, satisfied they have won the case, whilst forces apply a slap on the wrist to a police officer who may have killed someone, either accidentally or deliberately.
I’m sure you agree, this is shocking.
It has happened to me recently. In my book NOT A KNEE ON THE NECK (How British Police Kill People) I touch on just a few of the aspects. Already media is intrigued. If you care to examine further, it is available as E-Book or paperback from Amazon.
It has already been found by a Crown Court Judge that Surrey Police failed to disclose vital evidence and “persistently lied to the Court”. But my case, like the cases of Carl Beech and Jemma Beale, are just the tips of the icebergs. Thousands of innocent men and women are in jail. Thousands more families have been destroyed.
This shocking situation is certain to get enormous media attention over the next few months.
As Home Secretary, you are in a position to take pre-emptive action.
Best wishes,
Jonathan (Kenneth) King.
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