UK Parliament home

Open Introduce a 6-month time limit for police misconduct investigations

Created by James Stringer
Closes on

We ask the Government to legislate for a statutory 6-month time limit for completing police misconduct investigations.

Where cases cannot reasonably be concluded within 6 months, extensions should require approval from an independent authority, with clear justification and regular review.

The law should also require:

* A formal review at 3 months
* Welfare and occupational health support for officers under investigation
* Publication of anonymised data on investigation times and outcomes

Prolonged investigations can undermine fairness, efficiency, and workforce wellbeing. Clear time limits with independent oversight would support timely, proportionate decision-making while maintaining public confidence in police accountability.

Sign this petition

424 signatures

Show on a map

10,000

Petition progress

View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.

  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 22 November 2026.