WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1986
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THE LARGEST SINGLE SUBJECT OF COMPLAINT (25.8 PER CENT) WAS A300 OVERBEARING, IMPOLITE CONDUCT OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE OF POLICE OFFICERS, FOLLOWED BY NEGLECT OF DUTY OR IMPROPER ACTION (23.8 PER CENT), AND ASSAULT (21.6 PER CENT).
A TOTAL OF 1 512 POINTS OF COMPLAINT WERE EITHER WITHDRAWN OR FOUND TO BE NOT PURSUABLE, BECAUSE THE COMPLAINANT COULD NOT BE LOCATED TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION, OR THE IDENTITIES OF THE POLICE OFFICERS ALLEGEDLY AT FAULT COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED.
RANDOM CHECKS WERE MADE BY THE GROUP SECRETARIAT TO ESTABLISH THE REASONS FOR WITHDRAWN CASES, AND ALL COMPLAINANTS CONTACTED IN THESE CHECKS CONFIRMED THEY HAD WITHDRAWN THEIR COMPLAINTS VOLUNTARILY.
OF THE REMAINING 4 410 POINTS OF COMPLAINT, 504 WERE SUBSTANTIATED AND 131 WERE FOUND TO BE NOT PROVEN, WHILE THE NUMBER OF UNSUBSTANTIATED POINTS OF COMPLAINT WAS 3 190, AND 585 POINTS OF COMPLAINT WERE FOUND TO BE FALSE.
THE REPORT SAYS THAT AS A RESULT OF COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS CARRIED OUT BY OR ON BEHALF OF CAPO DURING THE YEAR, CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS WERE INSTITUTED OR DISCIPLINARY ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST 646 POLICE OFFICERS.
WHERE ANY MISCONDUCT OR IRREGULARITY IS REVEALED IN THE COURSE OF A COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION, APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION IS TAKEN BY THE POLICE FORMATION COMMANDER, AND 707 OFFICERS WERE DEALT WITH IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES DURING 1985, THE REPORT SAYS.
DURING THE YEAR, THE UPG EXAMINED ON AVERAGE 370 INVESTIGATION REPORTS EACH MONTH AND BY THE END OF NOVEMBER THE NUMBER OF OUTSTANDING COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS WAS 720.
THE REPORT NOTES THAT DELAY IN BRINGING AN INVESTIGATION TO A CONCLUSION WAS WATCHED CLOSELY AND A COMMITTEE OF THE CAPO MET QUARTERLY TO REVIEW PROGRESS OF OUTSTANDING CASES.
IT POINTS OUT THAT THE MINUTES OF THOSE MEETINGS WERE EXAMINED BY THE UPG AND INTERIM REPORTS WERE CALLED FOR ON ANY CASE OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE OR WHERE THE REASONS FOR DELAY WERE UNCLEAR.
WHEN A COMPLAINT INVOLVED AN EXTENDED INVESTIGATION, INTERIM PROGRESS REPORTS WERE FURNISHED BOTH TO THE UPG AND TO THE COMPLAINANT.
/THE REPORT