Actions Against the Police

Anyone who has had their rights infringed or has been treated unfairly by a public body can make a claim. You can also claim on behalf of people who can’t make decisions for themselves, (e.g. adults with certain mental illnesses or brain injuries, or children).

There are strict time limits in place. You have six years to make a claim for wrongful arrest or false imprisonment, three years to make a personal injury claim, and only one year to make a complaint against the police, unless you have a valid reason for not making the complaint. There may be exceptions if you are claiming on behalf of a child, or bringing a claim on behalf of someone without the mental capacity to bring their own.

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC)* is an independent body set up to deal with complaints against the police. Anyone can make a complaint to the IOPC but they tend to only investigate the most serious claims - usually those involving severe injury or death.

Complaints not dealt with by the IOPC should be referred to the Professional Standards Department within the relevant police force so that the conduct of the police officer/s involved can be properly investigated. However, this is often not the case, and we often find examples of both the IOPC and the Professional Standards Department not properly applying the police complaints procedure. This means although the correct structures are in place for people to file a complaint against the police, this doesn’t guarantee every complaint the attention it deserves.

For this reason, we advise having experts on your side.

*The IOPC was formally known as the IPPC (Independent Police Complaints Commission)

First of all, you’ll speak to one of our friendly team on the phone. You can talk to us about your situation, and we’ll assess whether or not we can help you. If we’re able to take your claim forward, we’ll get started right away.

Our expert team will look into your case in detail, compiling evidence to make sure your case is as strong as possible. Where appropriate – for example in the case of personal injury – we’ll obtain expert medical opinion to support your claim and show the impact on your life.

Bringing a claim against the police may involve first filing a police complaint. If this is the case, we’ll be able to advise you through the process. You can find out more about how these complaints are dealt with on our Police Complaints Procedure page. Once we have everything we need, we’ll attempt to settle your claim. Most cases settle out of court and that is always our preferred option, but if this isn’t possible, we will support you through the trial and help you with any court appearance.