First Service Police Complaints Commissioner appointed
The first Service Police Complaints Commissioner will oversee the new Service Police complaints process
Margaret Obi has been appointed as the first Service Police Complaints Commissioner who will oversee the new Service Police complaints process which is expected to come into force in the second quarter of 2023.
They will carry out investigations into the most serious allegations against the Service Police which brings the Service Police into line with their civilian counterparts.
Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison said:
Margaret Obi’s appointment will result in the Armed Forces having a more robust, independent process for handling Service Police complaints. Being independent of the military, the commissioner will be able to hold to account Service Police who fall below the high standard we expect of all our people.
With this appointment, and as highlighted by the Lyons review into the Service Justice System, serving personnel should feel confident that they will be taken seriously and handled with professionalism to ensure a resolution is reached.
Margaret Obi, the new Service Police Complaints Commissioner, said:
It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed as the first Service Police Complaints Commissioner.
Upholding high standards and securing the confidence of persons subject to service law, civilians subject to service discipline, and the public more widely is of paramount importance. I look forward to shaping the new complaints system, providing independent oversight, and building relationships with all those involved in handling complaints against the Service Police to ensure that the process is fair, efficient, and effective.
Working together I am confident that we can meet the challenges that lie ahead.
The creation of this new independent office is in line with a recommendation from the Service Justice System Review carried out by HH Shaun Lyons and supported by the former Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy. The Review found that a degree of independent oversight was missing in comparison with civilian police forces that have statutory complaints systems - and recommended that a new niche defence body be created to deliver this.
Following consideration of this recommendation, the Government decided that the Service Police should mirror the arrangements used in the civilian system, with differences only where they are considered necessary, to take account of the service context. As such, the Armed Forces Act 2021 included a power to replicate the system set out in the Police Reform Act 2002 that provides for the civilian police in England and Wales (which is overseen by the Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct).