Sussex Chief Constable Paul Whitehouse has defended new stop-and-search procedures which require officers to fill in a form almost every time they speak to someone in the street.

The policy has been slammed as bureaucratic and counterproductive by critics but Mr Whitehouse said there had been few complaints from those involved in a pilot project in Brighton.

He said: "The Association of Chief Police Officers has said the system is unworkable but I have written to them saying it is working in Brighton."

The policy stemmed from recommendations from the Stephen Lawrence inquiry.

One said officers should fill in a report every time they stopped someone, including voluntary stops when someone offers information, as well as for every stop and search.

It does not require a form every time someone says hello or has a friendly chat with an officer.

But East Sussex County Councillor Godfrey Daniels, a member of the Sussex Police Authority, said the procedure could hit morale among officers and turn them into "form fillers as opposed to crime fighters".

He said officers might become reluctant to speak to anyone, knowing that doing so might mean more form filling.

Authority member Colin Marsh said many people from ethnic minorities would appreciate the new procedure.

He said: "Asylum seekers have not always had the best relationships with police in their own countries.

"This would provide them with a reassurance that contact with the police here might be recorded."

Mr Whitehouse said: "Officers who have not learned the new procedures fear them but when they get into it they will find it is not so bad.

"We need more stop and searches and to do that we need officers with confidence to do the job properly and recording stop and searches will help build that confidence."

Mr Whitehouse agreed the system could affect morale but he added: "We have to make sure it doesn't and to do that we need good training."