Complaints against police in England and Wales top 100,000 for the first time after a record 15 per cent surge
Poor service accounted for 55 per cent of all complaints logged across England and Wales's 43 forces in 2025/26, the steepest year-on-year rise since the current complaints definition took effect.Discrimination featured in 5,061 allegations as police complaints reached a record high, with David Ford of the Independent Office for Police Conduct citing AI as making the system more accessible.
Poor service by officers made up 55 per cent of the 108,897 complaints logged by 43 forces between April 2025 and March 2026. The Independent Office for Police Conduct says the rise is the biggest annual jump since 2020-21, with complaints up 61 per cent over five years. Its director David Ford warned against assuming it simply means rising public anger. He partly credited AI for making complaints easier.
The Metropolitan Police racked up the most complaints in total, at 13,920.
Cleveland Police had the worst rate, with 2,199 complaints against 2,553 staff.
Discrimination claims hit 5,061, including 2,398 alleging race discrimination.
