Super-complaint: Police 'need to do more' to treat people as equals

Jennie Henry spoke to the charity which prompted the super-complaint and a victim of abuse

A Teesside charity which sparked a national review into policing has said not enough progress has been made in treating women from black or asian heritage as equals.

The Halo Project, which is based in Middlesbrough, first raised the super-complaint against police forces nationwide in 2020.

They claimed police had mishandled investigations of sexual abuse against people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

That resulted in a nationwide review and a number of recommendations that police chiefs have said they are still working on.

Yasmin Khan, director for the Halo Project, said there was still a way to go.

"I think it's really important that policing has recognised that there is a failure on victims who have experienced trauma based abuse, and some of the investigations that they have conducted have really not met the needs of the victims," she said.

"I think this report just kind of focuses and solidifies that, that policing needs to do a lot more to restore the faith in communities, particularly communities that don't reach out to them."

She continued: "It's really up to policing now to prioritise this as part of their operational policing plans and make sure that they do consider all the honour based abuse. They are listening to the needs of the victims and they provide trauma informed investigations."

The National Police Chiefs Council said on Monday (25 March) that changes are being made.

The super-complaint was initiated by the Halo Project after it raised concerns about the way police handle sexual offence inquiries when the victim is from an ethnic minority.

It prompted a national report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, which heard testimony from some of those affected.

The report found victims of sexual abuse who are at risk of honour-based abuse are not always properly safeguarded by the police and receive an inconsistent service from different forces.

It also found some officers lack cultural knowledge and awareness of honour-based abuse.

What is a super-complaint?

In policing, a super-complaint can be made by designated organisations to raise issues on behalf of the public about harmful patterns or trends in policing.

The super-complaints must be made to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary. It will then be considered whether anything and what needs to happen as a result of the super complaint.

Super-complaints are designed to identify large scale issues which are not dealt with by the existing complaints systems.

Guidance for super-complaints in policing was introduced in 2018.

Kris Jepson reported on the recommendations made in 2022 to all police forces following the super-complaint made by the Tees Valley inclusion project

In December 2022 recommendations were made to all police forces following a report into the super-complaint.

Evidence for the report was gathered during field work in six forces, including Cleveland Police.

What did the report find?

- Those at risk of honour-based abuse are not always properly safeguarded.

- Victims received an inconsistent service across forces.

- Some officers lack cultural knowledge and awareness of the types of abuse women from ethnic backgrounds may face.

What were the recommendations?

In December 2022 a report from the HM Chief Inspectorate of Constabulary made the following recommendations for forces to:

- Better understand cultural differences by working with communities.

- Consistently record ethnicity.

- And that Police and Crime Commissioners should represent all community views when commissioning victim services.

Speaking on Monday, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for honour-based abuse, Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, said: “We are encouraged by the clear commitment from forces to ensure that officers understand the multi-cultural and diverse communities they serve.

"There is also clear acknowledgement that officers and staff must properly understand the complexities of different cultures to be able to identify and protect those at risk of crime, particularly honour-based abuse.

“Forces have been working with organisations, such as Karma Nirvana, to train officers and staff to better recognise and support victims of honour-based abuse. This includes recognising the importance of listening to lived experiences to inform police activity and response to sexual abuse.

“However, there is still inconsistency in the recording of ethnicity for both abusers and victims, which we know is a key barrier to being able to identify risk indicators and ensure appropriate safeguarding is put in place for victims. We are working at a national level to improve data recording as a priority.”

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