How to complain

Making a complaint

Any Service man or woman currently serving in the regular, territorial or reserve armed forces, can contact the Commissioner. They may raise any matter to do with their service in the Armed Forces.

Those who have left the Service may also complain about matters that occurred during their service.

The complaint must normally be about an event which is happening now or has happened within the last three months. If the event occurred over three months ago, the Service man or woman will need to tell the Commissioner why they have been unable to raise the matter before and why they feel it would be only fair to consider a complaint now. The Commissioner has no powers to re-open complaints that have been fully investigated and are now closed.

Someone acting on behalf of a Service man or woman such as a family member, friend or MP can also contact the Commissioner. They will need to tell her whether the Service man or woman knows they are writing.

The Commissioner and her staff will treat the information you provide in confidence unless she believes that there is an urgent need to alert someone in authority, for example to prevent serious harm. Even in these rare cases, every effort will be made to get your consent before any information is disclosed.

Putting it in writing

All complaints to the Commissioner should be made in writing - in a letter or e-mail and should include the following information:

The name and contact details of the Service man or woman
Their rank, Service, Service number and where they are based
Behaviour complained of (giving as much detail as possible please)
When the incident/s took place
Who is/was involved
If the complaint is about or involves their CO
Why they want to make a complaint and what they would like to happen as a result
If they are content for the Commissioner to send the complaint to their CO or a senior officer

If you are contacting the Commissioner on behalf of someone else, you must give your name and contact details as well as all the details above. You will also need to tell the Commissioner whether the individual concerned knows you are writing on his or her behalf.

All correspondence is treated in confidence and we will never pass on information without your consent, unless we feel there is immediate risk to an individual's personal safety or health. However, please be aware that should you wish the complaint to be investigated, we will need to share details of the complaint with the relevant chain of command.

If you prefer you can use our complaints form instead of writing a letter.

Download the complaints form - WORD [49 KB].

You can print off the form, fill it in by hand and post it to us, or
Save the form to your computer and complete it before printing it off and posting or e-mailing it to us.

Where to send your complaint

What happens next?

At a glance

Flowchart displaying the precedures described below

All complaints

The following steps apply to all complaints to the Commissioner:

The Commissioner will decide whether to refer your concerns to your Commanding Officer (CO).
The Commissioner will usually forward your complaint to your CO and do so within 5 working days from the date she receives it. She will let you know what she has done. If the complaint involves your CO, the complaint will be forwarded to a superior officer.
Your CO will contact you and help you to make a formal complaint. The CO may be able to resolve it informally at this stage.
You should let the Commissioner know if the CO dismisses your complaint without investigation. Your complaint can be referred to a superior officer or directly to the Defence Council level where a Service Complaint Panel with an independent member will consider it.
Your CO may inform the Commissioner about how your complaint has been handled but you can contact her if you have concerns about how you are being treated. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome you can ask for the matter to be referred to a higher level.

Complaints about unacceptable behaviour

The following steps apply only to complaints about behaviour such as bullying, harassment, discrimination, victimisation or dishonest or improper conduct:

The Commissioner will decide whether to refer your concerns to your Commanding Officer (CO).
The Commissioner will usually forward your complaint to your CO and do so within 5 working days from the date she receives it. She will let you know what she has done. If the complaint involves your CO, the complaint will be forwarded to a superior officer.
Your CO will contact you and help you to make a formal complaint. The CO may be able to resolve it informally at this stage.
Your CO must inform the Commissioner within 15 working days whether you have made a formal complaint, if it is to be investigated and by whom. If you decide not to make a formal complaint or the CO dismisses it, the CO must tell the Commissioner and explain why.
The CO must keep you, the Commissioner, and all concerned informed of progress every 30 working days if your complaint cannot be resolved quickly.
Both you and the Commissioner will be told of the outcome of your complaint.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome you can ask for the matter to be referred to a higher level. A Service Complaint Panel considering your case will include an independent member.