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Public Order
Service Quality
The Service Quality Wing continued to promote integrity, professionalism, continuous improvement and innovation in police services. In 2015, it formulated the Strategic Directions and Strategic Action Plan 2016-18 to meet policing challenges. The police won 13 awards in the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2015.
Complaints and Internal Investigations
The Complaints and Internal Investigations Branch comprises the Complaints Against Police Office (Capo) and the Internal Investigations Office (IIO). Under a statutory two-tier police complaints handling system, the Capo handles all complaints lodged by the public against the police and supports the independent Police Complaints Council in performing its statutory functions. It received 1,547 reportable complaints in 2015, 40.9 per cent less than the five-year average of 2,619.
To maintain public confidence, the IIO continued to embed ethics and integrity in the police through education and culture building, governance and control, enforcement and deterrence, and reintegration and support.
Independent Police Complaints Council
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) is an independent statutory body established, among other things, to:
• observe, monitor and review the Police Force's handling and investigation of reportable complaints;
• monitor actions taken or to be taken in respect of any member of the Police Force by the Commissioner of Police in connection with reportable complaints;
identify any fault or deficiency in police practice or procedure that has led to or might lead to reportable complaints and make recommendations accordingly;
• advise the Commissioner of Police and/or the Chief Executive of its opinion and/or recommendation in connection with reportable complaints; and
• promote public awareness of the role of the council.
Its 28 members, all appointed by the Chief Executive, are drawn from a wide spectrum of society with diverse expertise. In addition, the council had 110 observers at the year end. These observers, as well as the council members, may attend interviews and observe the police's collection of evidence in respect of reportable complaints on a pre-arranged or surprise basis, to ensure investigations are conducted in a fair and impartial manner.
In 2015, the IPCC scrutinised and endorsed the findings in 1,883 investigation reports on reportable complaints received during the year or carried forward from previous years, involving
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