Nottinghamshire Police referred to watchdog 403 times in four years

A general view of the Nottinghamshire Police headquarters in Sherwood Lodge Drive, Nottinghamshire.
-Credit:Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC


Figures obtained by Nottinghamshire Live show that Nottinghamshire Police has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) 403 times between 2020 and 2024. A Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the IOPC shows that over the five-year period, 32 voluntary referrals and 371 mandatory ones were made to the watchdog concerning Nottinghamshire Police.

The reasons for referrals include cases that have involved death or serious injury, serious corruption or serious sexual offence. A total of 37 referrals were made in 2020 and 64 in 2021.

In 2022, 61 referrals were made, followed by 92 in 2023 and 149 in 2024. Of the 403 referrals, 99 related to the conduct of the force's officers. A table showing the reason for each of these 99 referrals can be seen below.

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A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said: “It is standard practice that certain conduct matters identified have to be referred to the IOPC. This is the case with every police force across the country. IOPC provide valuable oversight to police forces.

“Simply because Nottinghamshire Police refers a matter to the IOPC does not mean that they choose to investigate it or that there are any issues around misconduct. To date, the IOPC has chosen to investigate independently or directed the investigation in 15 of these referrals in four years."


2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Criminal offence or discriminatory behaviour likely to lead to discipline

2

1

9

7

6

Death or serious injury

1

5

3

1

2

Relevant offence

1

N/A

1

1

1

Serious corruption

3

2

3

3

N/A

Serious sexual offence

1

2

4

1

6

Abuse of authority for sexual gain

N/A

1

1

N/A

1

Other

N/A

N/A

1

2

N/A

Voluntary

N/A

N/A

3

7

5

Serious assault

N/A

N/A

N/A

2

1

TOTAL

8

11

25

24

22

Of the 99 referrals related to the conduct of officers, 26 are still under investigation. The force had no case to answer following 28 of the referrals, while 34 of them resulted in a case to answer.

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An IOPC spokesperson said: “The number of referrals received by us from forces in England and Wales has continued to rise. In 2023/24, we received a total of 7,058 referrals.

"This was an increase of 823 (12 per cent) compared to the previous year, and nearly 75 per cent up on the 4,097 referrals received in the first year of the IOPC’s operation in 2018." According to data from the IOPC, Nottinghamshire Police referrals are comparable to the average for other similar forces, which include Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire.

In comparison, Derbyshire Police has been referred to the IOPC 399 times in total over the same period of time, while Lincolnshire Police was concerned in 302 referrals.

Two of the ongoing IOPC investigations into the conduct of Nottinghamshire Police are related to the Nottingham attacks . These include the police's decisions and actions in relation to Valdo Calocane before he went on to kill three people on June 13, 2023 and a media briefing held by the force in connection with the case.

The watchdog is also continuing to investigate the death of Trevor Bartlett, the former Nottingham Post photographer who was struck by a police van on the A52 in Beeston. Another recent investigation relates to the death of a 34-year-old woman in custody on November 1, 2024, after being arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.

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Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Gary Godden, said: "The IOPC performs a really valuable role in carrying out independent investigations into serious incidents and complaints about police forces across the country. This is designed to give the public trust and confidence that police forces and their workforce must act within a nationally recognised framework.

"It is important to recognise however that a not all cases referred to the IOPC result in action being taken by them. The majority are referred back by the IOPC to the force for local investigation.

"Some referrals may also be dismissed by the IOPC because although they meet the threshold for a mandatory referral, their investigation finds that procedures were followed correctly. One example of this could be a death following police contact, where the investigation finds that the contact with the police had no bearing on the death.

"As part of my public scrutiny role I am made aware of Nottinghamshire Police referrals to the IOPC and this allows me to seek further assurance on behalf of the public about any action that may need to be taken."