Britain’s free speech crisis: The weaponisation of complaints and the erosion of police discretion

1st October 2025Phil Cleary – Security expert, technology entrepreneur & author

With officers in the UK often placed in an untenable position by activists and others weaponising the complaints process in relation to a wide range of operational decisions – including the investigation of online posts – former West Midlands Sergeant Phil Cleary, co-founder of SmartWater and now a published novelist, argues that it’s time for Parliament to act to narrow the scope of referable complaints to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, enabling officers to return to exercising discretion.

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Britain’s free speech crisis: The weaponisation of complaints and the erosion of police discretion

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