Cases against Jersey Police lowest in a decade

The Jersey Police Complaints Authority says in its annual report there were 56 complaints registered in 2024

The number of cases made against Jersey police officers has dropped to its lowest in a decade, according to the island's police watchdog.

The Jersey Police Complaints Authority (JPCA) said there were nine new cases in 2024 compared with 12 the previous year and the highest in the past decade of 35 in 2014.

A "complaint" is an individual allegation raised by a member of the public, compared with a "case", which is when a complaint is escalated and then comes under the supervision of the authority.

The JPCA said in its annual report there were 56 complaints registered in 2024, with 44% resolved informally.

This compared with 59 in 2023, 64 in 2022, 55 in 2021 and 80 in 2020.

Most complaints in 2024 were from people who thought they had been harassed or threatened by police staff, with one complaint reporting serious injury, said the authority.

No complaints were related to honorary police officers.

JPCA chairman Chris Stephenson, who was appointed to the role in 2024, said the report aimed to instil belief in the system.

"Our primary function is to secure public confidence in policing and the complaints procedure by ensuring the police are accountable for their actions and lessons are learnt," he said.

Mr Stephenson said the authority would be transitioning into the Jersey Police Complaints Commission later this year.

He said the change would allow it to make recommendations and request information from the police force.