A NEW team is being set up to help North Yorkshire Police improve the way it handles complaints against the force.

New Home Office legislation will bring national changes from next year, something the region’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Julia Mulligan has been calling for since being first elected in 2012.

She believes the current system is too complicated, bureaucratic and does very little to encourage individuals or the policing service as an organisation to learn and improve.

In early 2020, new laws will be implemented giving elected PCCs more involvement in the complaints and compliments process, as well as the responsibility for most reviews, formerly called appeals).

The aim of the change is to ensure there is proper scrutiny of the process from someone directly elected and accountable to those served by the Force.

Ahead of these changes, Ms Mulligan is setting up a new Complaints and Recognition Team - distinct and independent from North Yorkshire Police - to deal with all non-serious complaints and all compliments.

She will also be appointing an independent adjudicator to manage all reviews. Recruitment for these roles is beginning now but it will be at least February next year before the changes come into effect.