Complaints over force fall

THE number of complaints made against officers with Lothian and Borders Police fell by nine per cent in the last year, new figures revealed today.

A total of 899 complaint cases were dealt with by the force between last April and March, compared with 991 for the same period the year before.

The decrease is higher than the national average for Scotland's eight forces, which saw complaints last year fall by six per cent.

The figures were in the annual statistical return (ASR) released today by the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland. The study also showed that Lothian and Borders Police has one of the lowest percentages of complaints per 1000 officers, with 351. Only Strathclyde Police and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary were lower.