54. Where allegations have been made of ill-treatment or misconduct, or credible evidence is available, to a criminal justice practitioner228 or a medical professional, he or she should be encouraged to refer the matter to the IPCB to record. 55. The police should be able to deal with complaints on notification, pending recording by the IPCB, which: ff are of a category that the police have responsibility for handling; and ff the complainant wishes the police to handle without the involvement of the IPCB. 56. The IPCB should be responsible for categorising complaints and determining the procedure for handling them. Examples of allocation decisions when recording a complaint include: ff take no further action on grounds that the complainant did not have just cause to complain; ff take no further action on the instruction of the complainant; ff define the complaint as a service complaint and refer to the appropriate authority; ff confirm the police decision to deal with the complaint pending referral to the IPCB; ff if made in connection with outstanding criminal proceedings, consult with the investigating authority responsible and determine whether the allocation decision should await the conclusion of those proceedings; ff refer to the police for mediation; ff refer to the police for investigation; or ff refer to an IPCB investigator. 6.3 Mediation process 57. A grievance that a practitioner may consider to be trivial may cause distress to a member of the public. The way in which such complaints are dealt with is likely to influence public trust and confidence in the police complaints system and the police. 228. See, for example, Aksoy v. Turkey (100/1995/606/694), Judgment 18 December 1996, §§ 56 and 99. Effective investigation of ill-treatment – Guidelines ► Page 94