Key Points
- Complaints made against Greater Manchester Police were increased from 6,665 in 2024/25 to 9,519 in 2025/26 by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
- The amount of allegations filed against GMP was increased from 15,769 to 18,248 in the same period.
- GMP had 740 complaints per 1,000 employees in 2025/26, while in the preceding year, the figure stood at 511.
- The nationwide total of complaints made was 108,988 among all police forces in England and Wales, with 432 complaints per 1,000 employees.
- “Delivery of duties and service” was the largest category with 9,205 allegations in GMP, followed by “police powers, policies and procedures” with 4,045 allegations.
- In 2025/26, GMP finalized 9,394 complaints cases, up from 6,719 in 2024/25.
- GMP made 359 referrals to the IOPC in that year, but 364 referrals were completed.
Manchester Police ( Manchester Mirror) October 21, 2026 – Complaints against Greater Manchester Police (GMP) increased sharply in 2025/26, with newly published Independent Office for Police Conduct figures showing that 9,519 complaint cases were logged against the force between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. This was up from 6,665 cases in the previous financial year, according to the IOPC’s Police Complaints Information Bulletin for Greater Manchester Police.
The figures show that GMP recorded 740 complaints per 1,000 employees in 2025/26, compared with 511 per 1,000 employees in 2024/25. The IOPC’s national figure for all forces in England and Wales was 432 complaints per 1,000 employees, while the average across GMP’s “most similar force” group was 513.
What do the new figures show?
The IOPC bulletin records complaints as cases, with each case capable of containing more than one allegation. GMP logged 18,248 allegations in 2025/26, an increase from 15,769 in 2024/25. On a workforce-adjusted basis, that equated to 1,418 allegations per 1,000 employees, against 1,209 the year before.
The national total for allegations logged was 188,600, or 748 per 1,000 employees. GMP’s most similar force group average was 6,583 allegations, or 864 per 1,000 employees.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, the newly published statistics reveal a rise in the number of complaints made against GMP and show that police forces across England and Wales recorded increased complaint volumes. The IOPC separately announced on 21 October 2026 that its data showed a record number of police complaints in 2025/26.
What were people complaining about?
The most common allegation category against GMP was “delivery of duties and service”, with 9,205 allegations logged. This represented 50 per cent of the force’s total allegations and covered matters including police action following contact, decisions, information and the general level of service.
Within that category, 5,858 allegations related to police action following contact, 1,497 to decisions, 1,439 to information and 411 to the general level of service.
The second-largest category was “police powers, policies and procedures”, with 4,045 allegations. This included 1,004 allegations about use of force, 722 about detention in police custody, 641 about searches of premises and seizure of property, and 605 about the power to arrest and detain.
“Individual behaviours” accounted for 2,771 allegations. The IOPC recorded 791 allegations involving impolite language or tone, 772 involving unprofessional attitude or disrespect, and 614 involving impolite or intolerant actions.
There were also 574 allegations of discriminatory behaviour. Of these, 259 related to race, 179 to disability, 73 to sex, 25 to religion or belief and 15 to sexual orientation.
How did GMP handle the complaints?
GMP finalised 9,394 complaint cases in 2025/26, compared with 6,719 in 2024/25. Of the cases finalised last year, 7,191 were handled outside Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002, 2,024 were handled under Schedule 3 without investigation, 140 were investigated without special procedures and 39 were investigated under special procedures.
The IOPC states that allegations can be handled informally outside Schedule 3 or formally under Schedule 3. Where allegations are formally handled, they may be dealt with without investigation or through a local, directed or independent investigation.
Of the allegations finalised by GMP, 9,264 were handled outside Schedule 3, 8,067 were handled under Schedule 3 without investigation, 855 were subject to local investigation and 44 were subject to directed investigation.
The average time for GMP to contact complainants was seven working days, up from five working days in 2024/25. The average time to log complaints was also seven working days, compared with four the previous year.
What happened after complaints were reviewed?
GMP received 411 reviews in 2025/26, up from 387 in 2024/25. Of these, 31 related to investigations and 380 to non-investigations.
The IOPC received 184 reviews relating to GMP, including 31 investigation reviews and 153 non-investigation reviews. The Greater Manchester local policing body received 227 reviews, comprising one investigation review and 226 non-investigation reviews.
Of the IOPC’s non-investigation reviews concerning GMP, 150 were completed with an outcome and 46 were upheld. For investigation reviews, 35 were completed with an outcome and 16 were upheld.
The force made 359 referrals to the IOPC during 2025/26, while 364 referrals were completed. Of the completed referrals, 177 resulted in a decision for local investigation, 162 were returned to the force, 25 resulted in independent investigation, five in directed investigation and one was deemed invalid.
What does the national picture show?
The IOPC’s national data showed that forces in England and Wales logged 108,897 complaints in 2025/26, according to reporting by Police Professional. This was a 15 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest total since the IOPC began collecting and analysing complaints data.
As reported by LBC, the number of complaints rose by 61 per cent over five years. The report also stated that 55 per cent of complaints related to allegations of poor service, 22 per cent to police powers and policy, and 11 per cent to accusations against individual officers or staff members.
The IOPC published its annual statistics and quarterly force bulletins as part of its role overseeing the police complaints system in England and Wales. It collects information from forces about the types of complaints received and how long forces take to deal with them.
Background of the development
The figures come from the IOPC’s Police Complaints Information Bulletin for Greater Manchester Police, covering 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The bulletin uses year-to-date figures and compares GMP’s performance with the same period last year, its most similar force group and national averages.
The IOPC notes that a complaint case may contain one or more allegations, meaning allegation totals can be higher than complaint-case totals. It also says that a new data-loading process removes matters recorded in error, which may cause figures to differ from previously reported data, particularly in same-period-last-year calculations.
The complaint framework used in the bulletin derives from the Police Reform Act 2002, as amended by the Police and Crime Act 2017, with the relevant provisions taking effect on 1 February 2020.
Prediction: What this means for Greater Manchester residents
For Greater Manchester residents, the rise in complaint volumes is likely to increase scrutiny of how GMP records, handles and resolves public concerns. Residents who raise complaints may pay particular attention to contact times, the handling of service-related concerns and the outcomes of reviews, given that the force’s average time to contact complainants rose from five to seven working days.
The data may also prompt closer monitoring by Greater Manchester’s policing oversight bodies. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority says it is required to publish the latest IOPC quarterly complaints data and annual statistics, alongside an account of how it holds the chief officer accountable.
For people interacting with GMP, the figures do not by themselves establish wrongdoing in individual cases. However, they indicate greater recorded demand within the complaints system, particularly around service delivery, police powers and individual conduct, and they may shape public expectations around transparency, response times and complaint outcomes in the year ahead.
