Complaints against police soar by 28%

Published on Tuesday 8 December 2009 08:52

COMPLAINTS against the police in Lothian and Borders soared by 28 per cent last year, new figures revealed today.

A total of 1,316 complaints, ranging from incivility to assault, were recorded in 2008-09 compared with 1,024 the previous year. Across Scotland, complaints against the police rose from 6,840 to 8,558.

That amounts to one complaint for every three serving officers.

John McNeill, the police complaints commissioner for Scotland, said the higher figures should not necessarily be taken as a negative.

He said: "We have more police in Scotland now than at any time in the past and the scale of operations is greater. The method of recording information is becoming more rigorous and detailed and that is a good thing. You could also argue that the public have more confidence in the police and expect higher standards and that's why we are seeing more complaints."

The biggest increases were in complaints about incivility and use of excessive force. Grampian had the highest rate of complaints, followed by Strathclyde.