Public complaints are complaints made by members of the public, which generally involve a specific officer's conduct, the lack of service they received, or the policies of our Service.

Members of the public are able to request Public Complaint Forms at the front desk of any district of the Niagara Regional Police Service. Whenever possible, the complainant has the opportunity to attempt to resolve their complaint with the on-duty Staff Sergeant.  Once the form has been completed and signed by the complainant, it is then forwarded to the Policing Standards Unit, and an investigation will be commenced.

The following are the criteria for lodging a public complaint:

• The person making the complaint must be the person who is directly affected by the incident (i.e. no third party complaints are investigated).
• The complaint must be in writing and signed by the complainant.
• The complaint must be made within six months of the incident.
• Complaints cannot be E-mailed.
• Complaints will not be accepted via voicemail left on the Policing Standards reception telephone.

Public Complaints are investigated pursuant to Part V of the Police Services Act of Ontario.

The Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services (OCCPS) provides detailed information about the Public Complaint Process on their Web site, which can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Disciplinary Hearings resulting from Complaints are conducted in accordance with the Police Services Act and the Statutory Powers and Procedures Act.

The Niagara Regional Police Service has enacted formal Rules Governing the Practice and Procedures of Disciplinary Tribunals held Pursuant to the Police Services Act of Ontario.  According to law these rules are Public Documents and are available in PDF format by clicking the link below:

• Rules Governing the Practice and Procedures of Disciplinary Tribunals held Pursuant to Part V of the Police Services Act of Ontario

As this document is in PDF format, it thereby requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.  Should you require a copy of this program, please visit our Downloads section of this Web site.