The Professional Standards Department deal with complaints made against the States of Jersey Police.
The information below should give you information on what you can complain about and who to make that complaint to.
Under the Law a member of the public can complain about the conduct of a police officer. If you think that a police officer has behaved incorrectly or unfairly, you have the right to make a complaint.
Expectations about the behaviour of police officers are set out in the Standards of Professional Behaviour. These expectations include requirements to:
If you feel that they have not met these standards you can make a complaint. These types of complaint are dealt with under the Police (Complaints and Discipline Procedure) (Jersey) Order 2000.
There are several ways to make a complaint:
Attend the Police Station where you will be seen by a Sergeant or Inspector.
Write to the following address:
The Chief Officer,
States of Jersey Police
La Route du Fort
St. Helier,
Jersey JE2 4HQ
By E-mail
ProfessionalStandards@jersey.police.je
An initial assessment will be made of your complaint and depending on the facts a decision will be made as to how it should be dealt with:
This is an informal approach to resolving complaints. It allows the Police to learn lessons and improve the way they do things. Many people prefer their complaint to be dealt with this way. However, the police cannot informally resolve a complaint unless you consent to it.
In more serious cases or where you do not agree to informal resolution, your complaint will be investigated and the Jersey Police Complaints Authority (JPCA) notified. You may have to be interviewed and provide a written statement. In cases where the allegation amounts to a criminal offence then a report will be passed to the Law Officers to decide if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute.
If there is sufficient evidence to support a disciplinary charge then formal proceedings may be taken against the police officer concerned. It may be necessary for you to attend a hearing to give evidence.
The Jersey Police Complaints Authority has been established by Law to provide an independent oversight to certain complaints against police. Its members are all members of the community who have never been police officers.
The JPCA has a duty under the Law to supervise all complaints involving death and serious injury and a discretion to supervise all other complaints that have not informally been resolved.
We are particularly interested in hearing about the occasions where we have provided an excellent service, which we can forward and use as an example of good practice.
Therefore, if you feel we have delivered to you a quality service please share your comments either
Write to the following address:
Professional Standards Department,
States of Jersey Police
La Route du Fort
St. Helier,
Jersey JE2 4HQ
or