Make a complaint

As the victim or witness of a crime, you deserve to be treated with dignity, sensitivity and respect. You can complain if you’re unhappy with the way you’re treated by any of the services supporting you after a crime. Your complaint can be about any stage of the process – from initially reporting a crime through to the support offered after a trial.

Complaints are handled differently, depending on whether they’re about:

• a criminal justice agency, such as the police, the Crown Prosecution Service or the courts
• a local charity or specialist support service

Complaining about a criminal justice agency

The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime. If you feel that your rights haven’t been met, you can make a complaint.

If you’re a victim and you’re unhappy with a decision made by the Crown Prosecution Service not to start a prosecution or to stop a prosecution, you can ask them to review it through the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme. If it was the police who decided not to prosecute a suspect, you can ask the relevant police force to review their decision.

The steps to making a complaint

1. Take your complaint to the person you’ve been dealing with.
2. If you can’t talk to this person or you’re unhappy with their response, make a formal complaint to the organisation they work for, such as your local police force or the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
3. If necessary, the organisation will forward your complaint to the right place and let you know.

You should receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days and be told when to expect a response.

If you’re still not satisfied, you can ask your local MP to pass your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is responsible for considering complaints relating to public services.

Making a complaint to your local police force

There are different ways to complain to your local police force. Most police forces give you options to complain, for example online, email, letter, calling 101, in person, or through someone acting on your behalf. You can also complain using the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) online complaint form, which will then be sent to the police force you wish to complain about. Read more about how to make a complaint.

The IOPC is not the police and is completely independent. The role of the IOPC is to make sure the police investigate complaints about their officers and staff properly. Most complaints about police are handled by the relevant police force, but the IOPC investigate the most serious matters, such as deaths or serious injury involving police.

Making a complaint to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

Making a complaint to the CPS is simple. You can either email, write to or call your local CPS office. All contact details can be found here. The CPS also has a dedicated Feedback and Complaints page where you can make a complaint or give feedback online.

Complaining about a charity or specialist support service

Many local charities and services aren’t covered by the Victims’ Code, but they will have their own complaints process. Start by making a complaint directly to the charity or service.