A statutory complaints and misconduct system for authorised investigators in the UK Public Sector Fraud Authority took effect on Monday, placing their conduct under oversight modelled on the police complaints regime.
The Authorised Investigators (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2026 give the Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct oversight of complaints, conduct matters and incidents involving death or serious injury. The investigators are Cabinet Office employees exercising powers under the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025.
The regulations set rules for recording complaints, preserving evidence and referring serious matters. They provide for investigations by the minister, the IOPC or other designated investigators, with special procedures for alleged serious misconduct. Complainants and other interested people are entitled to information as a case progresses, subject to restrictions for sensitive material.
The Director General may issue an information notice where information is reasonably required for an investigation. A notice cannot compel self-incrimination, legally privileged material, prohibited interception disclosures, protected foreign-government information or specified communications data. A recipient can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal on the ground that the notice is not lawful. Failure to comply can be certified to the High Court and dealt with as contempt.
The framework also permits reviews, reinvestigations and published recommendations. The IOPC can recommend an apology, return of seized property or other remedial action, though not compensation under that route. Recommendations and the recipient’s response are ordinarily published, subject to rules for sensitive material. The regulations broadly follow police-oversight arrangements while adapting them to a civilian fraud-investigation body.
