Police complaints and discipline Inspection
HMIC has a statutory duty to inspect and report on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces in England and Wales. HMIC describes its role in the following terms:
	"HMIC independently assesses police forces and policing activity ranging from neighbourhood teams through serious crime to the fight against terrorism – in the public interest.
	In preparing our reports, we ask the questions which citizens would ask, and publish the answers in accessible form, using our expertise to interpret the evidence. We provide authoritative information to allow the public to compare the performance of their force against others, and our evidence is used to drive improvements in the service to the public."
	In July 2011, HMIC was commissioned by the Home Secretary to review police relationships with the media and other parties (announced in an oral statement in the House of Commons on 18 July 2011 (Official Report, columns 622 to 642)). The subsequent report, Without fear or favour: a review of police relationships (December 2011), and its follow-up, Revisiting police relationships: a progress report (December 2012), found that while some progress has been made to ensure forces operate in a transparent manner, more needed to be done. The report concluded that a more transparent and challenging environment needed to be created in order to improve public confidence. It recommended that in addition to scrutiny of chief officers by PCCs, there continued to be a need for independent external scrutiny by HMIC, including unannounced inspections. It also highlighted the increased use of outsourcing within policing, and the need for scrutiny to apply to all those delivering policing functions. Amongst other things, Chapter 6 of Part 2 extends the remit of HMIC to cover the scrutiny of contractors and staff engaged in the delivery of policing functions.