Quality of Service
Introduction
We deal with a wide range of enquiries from you, the public. Some are straightforward and can be resolved immediately over the telephone, at a police station or through other contact points. Others need further investigation or the benefit of specialist knowledge or expertise before they can be resolved.
At West Yorkshire Police, we take pride in providing a high quality of service to you regardless of why or how you have made contact with us. We cannot guarantee that we will always be able to solve every crime or incident that you report to us. However we are committed to providing a service that responds professionally and appropriately to your particular needs. We want you to feel satisfied that we have provided the highest quality of service and that we value you as our customers and take all your concerns seriously.
So what level of service can you expect when you have contact with West Yorkshire Police?
We will provide excellent customer service by:
(The following headings provide links to individual sections within this page on each separate topic)
- Making it easy to contact us - providing accessible and responsive services
- Providing a professional and high quality service - providing appropriate help and advice
- Dealing with your initial enquiry - taking appropriate steps to deal with your enquiry
- Keeping you informed - providing contact details and updates
- Ensuring your voice counts - you can have a say in how your area is policed
- Dealing effectively with victims of crime - providing support for Victims
- Listening and responding to your concerns and complaints - working to improve our services
- Dealing with Freedom of Information requests - responding appropriately to requests for information
The Quality of Service Commitment
Our commitment to provide excellent customer service to you is set out in more detail in the following “Quality of Service Commitment” document, downloadable in PDF format. Click here to view our commitment to you in full (PDF 28kb)
Additional Information Links:
- Could your query be dealt with by the National Police Frequently Asked Questions database? This database deals with all sorts of queries from questions about crime prevention to road traffic issues and anti-social behaviour. Click here to view the database www.askthe.police.uk
- Information on Neighbourhood Policing Teams
- Information on police station opening hours
- Information on The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
- Information on complaints procedures including complaints regarding breach of The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
- Freedom of Information details
- Information on data protection
- Information on SPI results for the force
Making it Easy to Contact Us
We are committed to ensuring that our services are accessible to you and responsive to both your individual and communities needs. We will ensure that details of how to contact us are widely available.
Additional Information Links:
- Police station opening hours, addresses and all relevant telephone numbers
- Contact details for Neighbourhood Policing Teams
- Details of police contact points
- Call 101 for advice and effective action for community safety issues, including certain non-emergency crime, policing and anti-social behaviour.
- Information on how to leave a message on police voicemail
- Contact details for local authority and useful local voluntary organisations
- Could your query be dealt with by the National Police Frequently Asked Questions database? This database deals with all sorts of queries from questions about crime prevention to road traffic issues and anti-social behaviour. Click here to view the database www.askthe.police.uk
- Information on when to use the 999 service
- Information on how to report a crime
- Language line services offer translations for any interaction you have with public services, for a fee. Click here to access the web-site www.languageline.co.uk
Providing a Professional and High Quality Service
We are committed to responding to your needs by providing you with appropriate help and advice. We will take all your concerns seriously and explain what will be done to address them, including whether or not any further action will be taken and why.
Additional Information Links:
Dealing with your initial enquiry
We will always give priority to emergencies however, whatever the reason is for you making contact with us, we will ensure that we take the appropriate steps to deal with your enquiry as soon as possible. For example we will explain how we are going to deal with your query and provide you with a reference number where necessary. Where it is also necessary for a member of staff to visit you or for you to visit a police station, we will arrange a mutually convenient time for this wherever possible. We may refer you to an alternative organisation, for example your local authority or transfer you to a specialist department.
Additional Information Links:
- Could your query be dealt with by the National Police Frequently Asked Questions database? This database deals with all sorts of queries from questions about crime prevention to road traffic issues and anti-social behaviour. Click here to view the database www.askthe.police.uk
- Information on local voluntary organisations who may be able to help with enquiries
- Crimestoppers is the independent UK-wide charity working to stop crime. Click here to access the web-site www.crimestoppers-uk.org
- Language line services offer translations for any interaction you have with public services, for a fee. Click here to access the web-site www.languageline.co.uk
Keeping You Informed
We recognise the importance of being kept up to date on the progress of your enquiry. We will provide you with the relevant contact details for the individuals who are leading on your case as well as updating you on the progress of your case at a mutually convenient time and in an agreed way.
If we have not already been in touch with you, we will contact you monthly to let you know whether we are still actively investigating your case and when we will review that decision. If we are not investigating we will explain the reason for that decision.
Additional Information Links:
Ensuring Your Voice Counts
There are a number of ways you can have a say in how your local area is policed. We want to work with you to tackle crime and disorder and you can play an active role in tackling these problems. We are committed to listening to what you have to say and in order to help us improve the service we provide we want to know your views. We will publicise widely a range of ways to obtain your feedback and we will also publish regular updates about what is being done to improve services.
Additional Information Links:
- Link to online feedback mechanisms
- Information on Independent Advisory Groups
- Information on any relevant Citizen Panels
- Details of police contact points
- Details of public meetings
- Link to force/authority engagement/consultation strategy
- Information on local policing summaries (which cover the aims, objectives and priorities of the force and also provide information on performance and relevant contact details).
- Link to local Police and Crime Commissioner Website
- Details of public authority meetings
Dealing effectively with Victims of Crime
If you are in contact with us because you have been a victim of crime we understand that this can be a very distressing experience which can affect people in a variety of ways. We will comply with the specific commitments under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.
We will provide you with updates at regular intervals during our investigation into your case. We will inform you when a suspect has been arrested, charged, bailed, notifying you of their bail conditions, and our decision regarding case disposal. We will assign a family liaison officer to families of victims of murder or manslaughter. We will put you in contact with Victim Support (unless you ask us not to) once you have reported your crime.
We will take all reasonable steps to identify vulnerable or intimidated victims and offer them an enhanced service.
Additional Information Links:
- The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime: A guide for victims
- Full text of The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime including information on vulnerable or intimidated victims (PDF 115kb)
- Information on local victim support
- Information on the joint police/Crown Prosecution Service Witness Care Units
- Criminal Cases Review Commission
- Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
- Crown Prosecution Service
- Her Majesty's Courts Service
Listening and Responding to Your Concerns and Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with the service you receive from us, we are committed to listening to your concerns and complaints so that we can improve our services in the future.
Additional Information Links:
- Link to information on local complaints procedures and how to make a complaint
- Link to data on complaints (within Annual Report)
- The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is an organisation that has overall responsibility for the system of complaints made against the police in cases of misconduct, click here to access the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) web-site
Complaints about the police under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
- If, as a victim of crime you feel that we have not delivered on our obligations under the code, you should ask for a leaflet explaining how to make a complaint. You will receive a response within 10 working days.
- If you make a complaint regarding a breach of the Code but are not satisfied with the outcome, you may refer the issue, through a Member of Parliament, to the Parliamentary Ombudsman for consideration. Information about taking a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman can be found at www.ombudsman.org.uk
Freedom of Information
We are committed to complying with the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts.
- We will respond to any appropriate request for personal information within 40 calendar days
- We will respond to any request for any other information within 20 working days
- We will ensure that any information on our website is accurate and kept under review
Additional Information Links:
Disclaimer
Please note that by accessing external links you will be leave the West Yorkshire Police website. West Yorkshire Police are not responsible for the quality, accuracy or content of external websites.
Misconduct Hearings and Outcomes