City police witness a drop in complaints from public

THE number of complaints made against Lothian and Borders Police has fallen by seven per cent, new figures have revealed.

A total of 759 formal complaints were made against the force between April 1 last year and February 28, compared to 817 in the same period the year before.

In the same period, the number of allegations against on-duty personnel fell from 1112 to 914, a fall of 18 per cent. These included 48 allegations of "assault", 44 of "excessive force", 118 of "incivility", 90 for "neglect of duty", 102 for "oppressive conduct/harassment", and six for "corrupt practices".

In a report to the police board, Chief Constable David Strang said: "Any person who finds that a police force has not met their expectations, may make a complaint."

Complaints can now be made by any member of the public, even if they are not involved in an incident.