Every police officer should be accountable. Now if you get a complaint you know it is going to last for so long.

Andrew Birks

“Nearly everything the IOPC touches takes years to resolve. People think that if it has taken years then there must be something in it.

“But it hasn’t taken years because of the work, it is because of the incompetency of the investigation by the IOPC.

“The IOPC are so incompetent because there is no skill base. If you were in the police and dealing with a death you would have the homicide team – you wouldn’t send in the shoplifting squad.

NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

“Within the IOPC you are dealing with really serious offences which can be difficult – especially when the investigators have no speciality at all. The whole thing seems toy-townish.”

He added: “It is an indictment of how bad things are. Every force gets these complaints and it takes ages. It wouldn’t happen in any other organisation.

“Every police officer should be accountable. Now if you get a complaint you know it is going to last for so long.”

Mr Birks is now seeking compensation from the Metropolitan Police and the IOPC.

An IOPC spokesman said: “These views do not reflect or take into account the totality of our work into police misconduct and corruption and the impact we have had on improving police practice, nor does it reflect our current operations.

“We have acknowledged, on a number of occasions, that we want our investigations to be quicker and we are making great strides to do so.