In service of the truth? An evaluation of the Danish Independent Police Complaints Authority

Abstract

The article discusses police oversight systems. In the Nordic countries, the primary focus of external oversight is on individual accountability, and the article reports on results from an evaluation of the Danish Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA), established in 2011. Results show that the vast majority of complaints are not upheld, and that most complainants are dissatisfied with their experience with the system. They find the case processing time too long, they think the Authority is prejudiced in favour of the police, and they do not understand the reasoning behind the decisions. The article argues that disappointment is related to the fact that the IPCA focuses almost exclusively on individual wrongdoing (rarely finding sufficient evidence to take action), whereas complainants seek recognition and wish to hold the police organization accountable. It is suggested that the complaints system should be redirected towards mediation between officers and citizens and include a focus on organizational accountability.

Conciliation Versus Mediation of Complaints Against Police: Lessons from the Queensland Experience

“…Исследование показало, что заявители стремятся к очным встречам с обвиняемыми; они хотят озвучить свои претензии в безопасном окружении, хотят получить объяснения и, возможно, извинения [6,25,5,7] [17], многие граждане оценивают систему работы полиции с жалобами как пристрастную, а подачу заявлений считают бессмысленной. Избегание конфронтации может приводить к эскалации конфликта и подрывать доверие граждан к правоохранительным органам.…”

Citizen Complaints as an Accountability Mechanism: Uncovering Patterns Using Topic Modeling

“…To this date, Chile has neither a formal nor an independent police complaint system. This situation contrasts with other countries (e.g., the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries) where independent institutions are responsible for overseeing the system and handling complaints made against police forces (Holmberg 2019). Therefore, there is a knowledge gap around the content of citizen complaints.…”

Police oversight in Ireland: Who complains, who gains?

“…The idea of procedural justice raises the prospect of an oversight body acting with neutrality and offering a 'voice' to the public (Holliday and Wagstaff, 2022), to have its concerns heard by police. Yet, evidence suggests that, for complainants, final complaint outcomes are more important than complaint procedures (Holmberg, 2019;Worden et al, 2018), meaning that examining police oversight in terms of procedural justice is not sufficient.…”

“…Police misconduct generates numerous headlines and political responses and often, in turn, new oversight measures (Walker, 2018). Yet, evidence indicates that these measures tend not to correct police misconduct over time (Farmer et al, 2020;Holmberg, 2019;Osse, 2016). Moreover, beyond the professed need for it, in recent years, police oversight has arguably competed for political and academic attention against several new developments in the policing domain.…”