Powers
The statutory powers and responsibilities of the Commission are set out by the Police Reform Act 2002, and it came into existence on 1 April 2004, replacing the Police Complaints Authority. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), funded by the Home Office, but by law entirely independent of the police, interest groups and political parties and whose decisions on cases are free from government involvement.
Since 1 April 2004 the IPCC has used its powers to begin 353 independent and 759 managed investigations (as of 31 March 2009) into the most serious complaints against the police. These included deaths in police custody, shootings and fatal traffic incidents.
It also handles more than 4,500 appeals a year from members of the public about the way their complaint was dealt with by the local force, or its outcomes.
Read more about this topic: Independent Police Complaints Commission
Famous quotes containing the word powers:
“Everyone confesses in the abstract that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us all; but practically most people do all they can to get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do.”
—Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896)
“Religion differs from magic in that it is not concerned with control or manipulation of the powers confronted. Rather it means submission to, trust in, and adoration of, what is apprehended as the divine nature of ultimate reality.”
—Joachim Wach (1898–1955)
“If powers divine
Behold our human actions—as they do—
I doubt not then but innocence shall make
False accusation blush.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)