Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) was established in 1974 to handle all complaints against police cases. With nearly 40 years of development, CAPO has established a fair, impartial and robust complaints handling mechanism that is widely accepted and recognised by the public. This foundation was further consolidated in June 2009 following enactment of the Independent Police Complaints Council Ordinance  when a two-tier complaints system was formally codified.  

Most recently, CAPO acquired ISO 10002 "Quality Management - Customer Satisfaction" certification and was awarded the certificate on May 20. This represents a milestone for recognition and credibility of the current complaints system.

"After years of development, we were very confident that CAPO's complaints system could meet the international standard and withstand all challenges during the acquisition of the certification," said CAPO Senior Superintendent Siu Kit-hung. 

ISO 10002 is an international standard for complaints handling in an organisation.  It is not an easily attainable certification for an organisation and demonstrates the high level of professionalism and commitment of CAPO in the area of complaints handling.

There are nine guiding principles in this international standard, namely "Visibility", "Accessibility", "Responsiveness", "Objectivity", "Charges", "Confidentiality", "Customer-focused Approach", "Accountability" and "Continual Improvement".  The standard emphasises a "Plan-Do-Check-Act" cycle, ensuring a continual improvement of the complaints handling system.

The certification process lasted for six months and comprised three stages.  During stage one, selected CAPO officers underwent training to perform subsequent internal audits. Stage two involved a "Gap Analysis" by an independent certifying body.  Finally, CAPO underwent a rigorous external audit, which confirmed that the existing complaints handling mechanism fully met the requirements for ISO 10002. 

Speaking at the certificate presentation ceremony on May 20, Assistant Commissioner (Service Quality) Peter Morgan said: "This is a significant milestone for CAPO that fully reflects and acknowledges the hard work and commitment put in to ensure that all complaint cases are handled fairly, impartially and effectively. I'm sure  acquisition of this certification is merely the beginning. With the continuous support and encouragement of the Senior Force Management as well as other key stakeholders, particularly the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), CAPO will continue to maintain the credibility and integrity of the two-tier complaints system and strive for excellence in complaint handling and investigations."