01/02/2013

IPCC 'Understaffed And Under-Equipped' Says MP Report

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is overwhelmed, woefully under-equipped and failing to get to the truth of allegations, a Home Affairs Select Committee report has said.

The police watchdog for England and Wales needs more resources and powers, the report adds.

Welcoming the report IPCC chairwoman Dame Anne Owers sayed the body was struggling to meet expectations.

The report comes as the IPCC prepares for its biggest investigation, into the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

The report states: "Police officers are warranted with powers that can strip people of their liberty, their money and even their lives and it is vital that the public have confidence that those powers are not abused.

"We conclude that the Independent Police Complaints Commission is not yet capable of delivering the kind of powerful, objective scrutiny that is needed to inspire that confidence."

(H)




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