Warwickshire Police complaints figure increases

[dutchman]

Complaints against Warwickshire Police officers have increased by 13%, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has announced.



A spokesman said Warwickshire Police recorded 256 complaints against officers from 2009-10, compared with 226 in the previous year.

The main allegations were about neglect or failure in duty, incivility and assault.

Warwickshire Police said it welcomed the work carried out by the IPCC.

It said the figures showed the force was committed to listening to concerns raised by the community and was keen to deal with complaints effectively.

'Learning opportunities'

The total number of allegations contained within the complaints in Warwickshire was 608, up from 458 the previous year.

For incivility, the number of allegations rose from 92 to 101 while for neglect of duty the figure rose from 123 to 208.

For assault there were 79 allegations compared with 58 the previous year.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Parker said: "Overall the figures clearly demonstrate that Warwickshire Police is committed to listening to concerns raised by members of our community and is keen to ensure complaints are dealt with effectively.

"We always want to increase public trust and confidence and recognise that complaints can provide valuable learning opportunities to improve our service, prevent future errors and protect more people from harm.

"We recognise that we don't always get things right, but our officers and staff are often doing their job under difficult circumstances and misconduct is only apparent in a small number of complaint cases."