Civil actions against the Metropolitan Police
If you have been a victim of police misconduct, suffered harassment from, or been mistreated by the Metropolitan Police whilst in police custody in Greater London, you could be entitled to compensation. You do not have to accept poor police conduct, if your civil liberties or human rights have been infringed, HNK Solicitors can pursue this for you.
We have a team of experienced and dedicated Actions Against the Police and civil liberties solicitors with specialist knowledge in this area, who can help provide you with advice and support, every step of the way. We want to ensure you get the outcome you desire, whether this is a formal apology, disciplinary action against the Metropolitan Police officer(s) involved, or compensation for your mistreatment.
The Metropolitan Police force is the largest police force in the UK, covering an area of 620 square miles and serving a population of over 8 million. It polices the Greater London district, which is made up of 32 boroughs, not including the City of London, who have their own police force.
HNK Solicitors have successfully sued the Metropolitan Police on behalf of numerous clients, so we have plenty of experience in pursuing civil actions against the Metropolitan Police force. Whether you have been subject to police misconduct as a resident of Greater London, or just whilst visiting the area, we can help you pursue your actions against the police claim. We regularly accept instructions from clients nationwide. Do not worry if you cannot make it to our office, as we can deal with matters by way of telephone, letter, and email, and have a facility for clients to sign documentation electronically to speed up the process.
We understand this process can be challenging and emotionally demanding but our expert solicitors will guide you through the process. We represent clients from all over Greater London and beyond, in a wide variety of police conduct cases.
Examples of Metropolitan Police misconduct:
There are many different types of police misconduct which you can claim against the Metropolitan Police for, including:
Assault and battery
Police dog bites
Wrongful arrest/False Imprisonment
Unlawful stop and search
Negligence
Breach of human rights (e.g. unlawful strip search/trespass to your home)
Malicious prosecution
Trespass to property
Misfeasance in public office (abuse of power by the police)
Discrimination under the equality act (e.g. racial, sexual, etc.)
Retention/misuse of personal information such as DNA and finger-prints
Disclosure and Barring service complaints
Judicial Review
Breach of data protection
How do I claim?
Step 1
Get in touch using our contact forms or any details provided throughout the site.
Step 2
We will arrange a free consultation with you to discuss your claim.
Step 3
If you have a valid claim, we will accept your case on a No Win No Fee basis.
Step 4
HNK Client Settles for over £7,000 in False Imprisonment and Assault Case Against Leicestershire Police
What should you do if you have been mistreated by the Metropolitan Police?
You need to make a complaint to the Metropolitan Police within one year of the incident. Ideally, this should be a written statement with your full name, address, and contact information, as well as details of the allegation and complaints you are making. The Metropolitan Police complaint process can be quite complex, so it is beneficial to instruct a specialist solicitor on police conduct. Consult HNK before you make your complaint to the Metropolitan Police, and we can review it for you. The purpose of the complaint is to have the particular officer investigated for the complaint that was made.
The Metropolitan Police will then allocate your complaints to an officer or to the professional standards department to investigate it. It will then be dealt with in one of two ways. Local resolution is used in less serious complaints, and Local Investigation is used for more serious complaints, where a complaint needs to be investigated further. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, you are given 28 days to appeal the decision.
The civil action against the police is conducted with the purpose of obtaining compensation for mistreatment and/or an admission of liability. Actions against the Metropolitan Police are often highly defended, so it is highly advised you have an experienced legal team, such as ourselves, to help fight your case for you if you want a successful outcome.
What can we do for you?
Our actions against the police and civil liberties solicitors, have fought many cases against the Metropolitan Police in Greater London and are recognised as leaders in the field of human rights law and actions against the police.
We are proud to offer a no-win, no-fee service, depending on the facts of your case and an initial assessment. This means you won’t have to pay a penny upfront. We also routinely act under private funding and legal expenses policies. Contact us today to find out more.
Free Consultation
No-Win-No-Fee
Dependent on the details of your case we can offer a no-win-no-fee service, so it won’t cost you a penny to begin the process of making your civil liberties claim. You are then only expected to pay a percentage of the compensation you are awarded when your case is won.
Get The Outcome You Desire
Our expert lawyers will fight the police complaint on your behalf, to get the outcome you desire.
FAQs
Our AAP department deals with cases where there have been allegations of Police Misconduct from the Metropolitan Police.
We have helped clients throughout Greater London, who have suffered a range of issues, such as:
- Wrongful Arrest and imprisonment
- Wrongful stop and search
- Discrimination
- Malicious Prosecution
- Assault and Battery
- Trespass to property
- Human Rights breaches
- Data protection breaches
- Seizure of property
The Metropolitan Police force police the Metropolitan Police District in Greater London. The district consists of 32 boroughs, excluding the City of London. If you have ever been the victim of police misconduct in any of the following areas, we can help you pursue a claim against the Metropolitan police: The city of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington, Camden, Brent, Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Croydon, Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Newham, Waltham Forest, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Harrow, and Hillington.
We try our best to help anyone who has encountered a problem with the Police. We regularly accept instructions from clients nationwide.
Despite our office being based in Liverpool, our expert Actions Against the Police department often represent clients from all over England and Wales and take on cases against a variety of police forces. The Metropolitan Police actually make up the largest proportion of our Actions Against the Police caseload, so we have plenty of experience helping those who live in the Greater London area.
We can deal with matters by way of telephone, letter, and email. We also have a facility so that our clients can sign documentation electronically to not only speed the process of progressing your case but helping us do our bit for the environment too!
In this country, as long as you do not have a civil restraint order, you can issue Court proceedings, however, actions against the police are highly contentious.
In our view, the litigation process can be complex for the layperson, so we urge anyone who is wanting to take the Metropolitan Police to court to seek legal advice before doing so.
Further, it would be imperative to understand the litigation process and the law to ensure you have the best chance of success.
If you have suffered an injustice or misconduct by the Metropolitan Police, it is important to act quickly so all relevant footage can be retained.
If you instruct us, our specialist team will ensure a request is made for all footage and ensure the Metropolitan Police do everything reasonable to help secure the same.
A police complaint is different from a police claim, as the complaint deals with the standards of professional behaviour and whether the officer has breached the same.
If the officer is found to be in breach, then sanctions may be imposed against the officer, such as dismissal, suspension, restricted duties, or a warning. The complaints process can also refer the officer to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Unfortunately, in our experience, officers are rarely sanctioned, and the complaints procedure is not always fit for purpose.
A police claim, on the other hand, deals solely with compensation following police misconduct. Unlike a complaint, a civil claim is pursued through the Court system and, if successful, can result in damages and legal costs being paid by the Defendant, in this case, the Metropolitan Police force.
Initial complaints need to be made to the Metropolitan Police force within one year of the incident. A claim for personal injury damages needs to be made within three years of the incident.
Other aspects of your claim such as matters arising under the Human Rights Act must be made within one year. For discrimination complaints, a complaint must be made within six months of the incident. In other areas such as malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and misfeasance in public office, a claim must be made within six years.