ABSTRACT
The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is an independent body corporate and its constitution and membership provisions are detailed in Schedule 5 Police Act 1996. Part IV Police Act 1996 consolidates and clarifies Part IX Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The PCA deals with the most serious complaints about police conduct and matters that are likely to be of public concern, it is easier to overview its supervisory task by means of a diagram. From the 1960s onward there was a lot of public disquiet regarding the way in which complaints concerning the conduct of police officers was dealt with. A member of a police force who is dismissed, required to resign or reduced in rank following discipline procedures has the right to appeal against the decision to the Police Appeals Tribunal. Less serious complaints and discipline matters are resolved without the intervention of the PCA; they are dealt with internally in each force.
