Police super-complaints: length of investigations into sexual offences
Super-complaint from the Centre for Women’s Justice about the length of police investigations into sexual offences.
Applies to England and Northern Ireland
Documents
Details
The Police Super-complaints (Designation and Procedure) Regulations 2018 enable bodies designated by the Home Secretary to make super-complaints about features of policing they think may be harming the interests of the public.
On 15 December 2025, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services received a super-complaint from the Centre for Women’s Justice.
The Centre for Women’s Justice has worked closely with Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, Rape Crisis England & Wales and Bindmans LLP to submit this super-complaint. It is about what the Centre for Women’s Justice describes as ‘excessively lengthy police investigations into sexual offences’.
Access the super-complaint and more information.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct have assessed this super-complaint and decided it is eligible for investigation.
The terms of reference for the investigation of the super-complaint are available.
Updates to this page
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The terms of reference for our joint investigation are now available.
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An extra attachment has been added. This has allowed for a direct link to the super-complaint.
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First published.