The Office of Keith Hunter

The Lawns
Harland Way
Cottingham
HU16 5SN
www.humberside-pcc.gov.uk

Contact: Louise Johnson

Mr
Grimsby
North East Lincolnshire

Tel: 01482 220731

e-mail: louise.johnson@humberside.pnn.police.uk
Our ref: LJ/CC/1697

10 August 2016

Dear Mr

Thank you for your email of 1 August 2016 in which you indicate that you wish to make
a complaint against the Chief Constable of Humberside Police, Justine Curran.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is the appropriate authority for
handling complaints against the Chief Constable only, my consideration must
therefore concentrate solely on any allegations against her.
You indicate that you are writing in connection with the outcome of a complaint that
you made to Humberside Police and state that you do not wish to pursue the appeal
mechanism that is available to you as you feel that it would be a waste of time and that
you therefore wish to complain about the Chief Constable because:
It is inexcusable that the force has ignored representations concerning that incorrect
advice and is why I am now complaining about the Chief Constable as the person
having overall responsibility for endorsing/allowing such gross negligence
and
Ill be clear that if the force institutes complaints about any officers associated with
the failings referred to in this correspondence (other than the Chief Constable) I will
not engage in the process which I presume is laid down under the Police Reform Act
2002 etc. My complaint categorically concerns the Chief Constable, being the person
with overall responsibility for the failings
As has been previously explained, complaints against the police must be handled in
accordance with legislation, namely the Police Reform Act 2002, as amended. In
relation to your complaint ref CO 282/16/AH, this has been considered by Humberside
Police, who are the correct appropriate authority, and you have been advised of the
outcome. You have been advised of the correct appeal mechanism which is to the
Humberside Police Appeals Body. In now directing your complaint at the Chief
Constable it would therefore appear that you are attempting to have the Forces
decision overturned by other means and this is an abuse of the complaints procedure.

I understand that you are frustrated by this ongoing matter, as has been demonstrated
in correspondence with this office going back to August 2012. However, the Chief
Constable has not been involved as you yourself acknowledged in your appeal dated
16 June 2016 in which you stated I wrote asking that the matter be escalated for the
attention of the Chief Constable in order that any subsequent investigation into the
person against whom I intended making the complaint would not be undertaken by the
force itself. However, the force chose not to comply with my wishes and prematurely
took that correspondence as the complaint submission. You also acknowledged this
in your letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner dated 11 May 2016 in which you
stated A request was made for the matter to be escalated for the attention of the Chief
Constable in order that the anticipated dissatisfaction of a subsequent decision would
be subject to external scrutiny rather than the force investigating itself. The force
proceeded regardless and the matter dealt with under the Local Resolution process
with the outcome (13 January 2016) stating that the issues may be appeal points that
could be raised at any subsequent appeal hearings and that the force did not
investigate allegations of perjury unless a request to do so comes from the court.
You are therefore aware that the Chief Constable has not been involved in the matters
that you have raised.
For these reasons I will not be formally recording a complaint against the Chief
Constable. If you are unhappy with this recording decision you may be able to appeal
to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). I have enclosed their
factsheet which details how to do this.
You have 29 days from the date of this letter, within which to make your appeal. You
are advised to post your appeal in good time to ensure it reaches the IPCC before the
end of the 29th day. The 29th day is 7 September 2016. Appeals received after 29 days
may not be allowed unless there are exceptional circumstances.
You might want to consider using guaranteed next-day delivery post service to ensure
that your appeal is received within time.
Yours sincerely

Louise Johnson
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside