Complaints against Cleveland Police have surged to record levels, leaving the force with the highest complaint rate in England and Wales fuelling concerns over standards, accountability and public trust.
Staggering statistics
New data released by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) shows that Cleveland Police recorded 2,199 formal complaint cases during the 2025/26 financial year, up from 1,993 cases in 2023/24.
The increase of 206 complaints, or 10.3% over two years, comes as Cleveland continues to record one of the highest complaint rates in England and Wales.
Separate IOPC figures show that those complaints generated 3,511 individual allegations during 2025/26, illustrating the number of concerns being raised within formal complaints.
Trending upwards
The figures come from the IOPC’s Quarter 4 2025/26 Annual Performance Bulletin, published in May 2026.
While police leaders may point to changes in complaint-recording rules, the scale of the increase means it cannot simply be dismissed as an administrative quirk. Whether driven by declining confidence, greater public awareness of complaints procedures, or frustrations with policing services, thousands more people are now formally raising concerns about how they have been treated.
A five-year climb
Complaint numbers against Cleveland Police have been trending upwards for several years as seen below.
| Financial Year | Complaint Cases |
| 2021/22 | 1690 |
| 2022/23 | 1755 |
| 2023/24 | 1993 |
| 2024/25 | 2109 |
| 2025/26 | 2199 |
To put that into perspective, it equates to around six formal complaint cases every day during 2025/26.
For a force serving a population of around 570,000 people across Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees, that is a statistic unlikely to be welcomed by senior officials.
How do other forces compare?
The rise becomes even more notable when compared with neighbouring forces.
Durham Constabulary has generally maintained relatively stable complaint levels over recent years, while North Yorkshire and Northumbria have also seen complaint numbers rise. However, Cleveland remains a clear outlier among its regional neighbours when comparing complaints case rates per 1000 employees. A metric used to compare forces of differing sizes.
The most recent data from 2023/24, complaint case rates per 1,000 employees ranged from 96 in Norfolk to 812 in Cleveland Police, the highest recorded in England and Wales. Northumbria recorded 521 complaints per 1,000 employees, Durham 383 and North Yorkshire 137, leaving Cleveland well ahead of its regional neighbours.
A national trend but not the whole story
But, to be fair, Cleveland police are not alone.
Complaint numbers have been rising across England and Wales since reforms introduced under the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 widened the definition of what must be recorded as a complaint.
The changes were intended to make the complaints system more transparent and ensure public concerns could no longer disappear into bureaucratic black holes. National complaint volumes have increased steadily ever since.
However, while changes in recording practices explain part of the story, they do not fully explain why some forces have seen much steeper rises than others.
The reality is that complaint statistics remain one of the clearest indicators of how members of the public perceive their interactions with police.
Funding pressures alongside rising demand
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Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey has repeatedly warned that the force is being held back by an outdated funding formula. Earlier this year he described the Government’s settlement as “farcical” and said the current system is “broken”, arguing that it fails to reflect Cleveland’s high levels of deprivation, crime and demand. Storey warned the force faces a £2.4 million funding shortfall despite serving one of the most challengedpolicing areas in the country. That’s the equivalent of around 40 police officers.
Under pressure
It would be unfair to ignore the pressures facing Cleveland Police regarding the funding shortfall. The IOPC and policing oversight bodies have long argued that complaints data is more than a measure of public dissatisfaction; it can also highlight underlying issues in supervision, organisational culture and service delivery that require improvement.
Why complaints matter
Police forces are quick to point out that a complaint does not automatically mean misconduct occurred. That, of course, is true.
Many complaints are resolved through explanations, apologies, service improvements or local resolution processes. Only a small percentage result in disciplinary action.
But complaint figures are not meaningless. Every complaint represents a member of the public who felt sufficiently dissatisfied to formally challenge the actions of a police force, a step few people take lightly.
Where complaints go
According to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), only around 30% of complaints are formally referred to Cleveland Police for handling. The majority are instead dealt with within the OPCC’s own complaints process, raising questions about how cases are filtered at an early stage and the extent to which complainants’ concerns are escalated directly to the force. While this system is intended to provide an additional layer of oversight and early resolution, it also means most complaints do not progress into the police’s formal internal process.
PCC Response
When contacted by North East Bylines, PCC Matt Storey said it was “difficult to identify an exact cause” for the increase in complaints, suggesting a range of factors could be contributing, including “recording changes” and “the impact of national or international events involving other police forces”.
Ever-increasing 999 calls
Storey also pointed to increasing demand on the force, noting that Cleveland Police received “almost 3,000 more 999 calls during 2025 than in the previous year” while arrests increased by “almost 10%”. He said that with greater public interaction, this “could also have an impact on the number of complaints received”.
Complaints go with the territory
While acknowledging concerns about public confidence, Storey argued that complaints remain an important part of police accountability. “When the public feel the service they receive falls short, it’s important the right processes are in place for people to raise their dissatisfaction,” he said. “This helps to promote organisational learning, highlight inappropriate behaviours and protects the integrity of policing.”
A good system?
Storey also highlighted their unique complaints process, noting that the force is one of only two in England and Wales where the majority of complaints are initially handled by a dedicated team within the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it
The long-term future of that arrangement remains uncertain, with the Government pursuing devolution and reforms that will transfer PCC powers to Mayoral Combined Authorities in some areas. How those changes affect the current complaints model here has yet to be clarified.
Cleveland Police is improving
Addressing wider concerns about policing, Storey said there remained “a disconnect between the marked improvements in the force’s performance and the current levels of confidence in the police among Cleveland residents”. Despite ongoing funding pressures, he said Cleveland Police had become “one of the most improved forces in the country” in recent years and argued that fairer funding would allow the force to “further accelerate this progress”.
Getting the message out there
Storey also noted “I’m confident the force has a plan in place to showcase the varied and excellent work they undertake in Cleveland on a daily basis, whether it’s collecting important intelligence, developing problem-solving plans or delivering a rapid response to ongoing emergencies. These positives provide a more accurate reflection of Cleveland Police in 2026 – and it’s important the public hear about them.”
Restoring trust
For Cleveland Police, the challenge is no longer simply managing complaints. It is rebuilding trust. While funding pressures may explain some of the difficulties facing the force, they cannot fully account for the scale of dissatisfaction reflected in the complaints data.
That in itself contrasts with the PCC’s view that part of the problem lies in public perception, arguing the force’s work is not being properly recognised and that more needs to be done to “get the message out there” about its day-to-day performance and improvements.
There’s people behind the statistics
However, for many residents, the issue is not awareness of policing activity but their direct experience of it, like this recent account here. Because behind every complaint is a person who felt ignored, let down, dismissed or failed by the very institution entrusted to protect them. And as complaints continue to trend upwards, that is a message that neither Cleveland Police nor the government can afford to ignore.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Cleveland Police recorded 3,511 complaint cases during 2025/26. The figure relates to allegations recorded within complaints. The number of formal complaint cases recorded during 2025/26 was 2,199. The article has been amended accordingly.
