A WATCHDOG has said people who launch complaints against the police face a “postcode lottery” over how their issues are dealt with, after figures revealed startling variations across North-East and North Yorkshire forces.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) highlighted concerns about “forces marking their own homework” after finding Durham upheld none of the 31 appeals into its complaints investigations last year, while the IPCC upheld 27 per cent of Durham complaint investigation appeals.

The study showed Northumbria upheld just 16 per cent of its 58 investigation appeals, while the IPCC upheld 53 per cent.

The IPCC also found disparities in the way forces handled complaints, with Northumbria dealing with 30 per cent through the local resolution process last year, where in Cleveland the figure was 77 per cent, with only 15 per cent of complaints investigated.

The study revealed Durham and Cleveland, had 399 and 609 complaints, respectively, in 2015/16, representing rises of 27 and 22 per cent on the year before and the number of appeals made by dissatisfied complainants rose by 49 and 34 per cent.

In contrast, the North Yorkshire and Northumbria forces saw 291 and 716 complaints, representing 44 and 30 per cent falls on the year before, with the number of appeals by dissatisfied complainants in North Yorkshire dropping by 25 per cent and rising by 16 per cent in Northumbria.

IPCC chair Dame Anne Owers said part of the reason for the inconsistencies was because the complaints system was too complex and overly bureaucratic.

She said: “Some forces choose local resolution in over 70 per cent of cases; others investigate over 70 per cent. It is very unlikely that the profile of cases among forces varies so widely; so this appears to be a postcode lottery.”

Durham Constabulary’s Detective Chief Insp Mick Kirtley said the force was confident it achieved the right outcome, first time, in the vast majority of cases. He said the number of complaint appeals was so low percentages shown in the study could be misleading. He said: “Our professional standards and legal staff deal with around 80 to 85 per cent of formal complaints, whereas in many forces complaints are dealt with locally at stations by officers or staff who may be less experienced or familiar with the legislation.”

Cleveland Superintendent Bev Gill, said it was disappointing to see a rise in complaints to the force, as it was striving to leave members of the public satisfied. She said: “Policing is complex and officers have to make difficult and often unpopular decisions, but we must ensure we explain this decision-making and listen to feedback from our communities.”

Detective Superintendent Maria Taylor, of North Yorkshire Police, said the force saw its high local resolution rate as “a real positive”, as complaints were dealt with more quickly and lessons learned more swiftly applied.

She said: “We have a very low number of appeals to the IPCC. We believe this is due to our firm commitment to the complaints process and driving a satisfactory resolution for all involved.”

Northumbria Deputy Chief Constable Winton Keenen said it had revolutionised the way it handled complaints and its customer-relations approach was being adopted by forces elsewhere in the country.