The number of complaints made against Sussex Police rose by 29 per cent last year, according to a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The rise was the third highest out of all the forces in the country.

Only Bedfordshire, which saw a rise of 40 per cent, and Gwent, where complaints rose by 36 per cent, had higher increases in the number of complaints made to the IPCC.

Between 2006 and 2007, 428 complaints were made about Sussex Police compared to 333 the year before.

Ninety per cent were made against police officers, eight per cent against police staff, including traffic wardens and community support officers.

The remaining two per cent were made against contracted staff and special constables.

Ninety-four per cent of complainants were those directly affected by the allegation.

Out of the 268 completed investigations, 12 per cent were substantiated and 88 per cent unsubstantiated.

Neighbouring force, Surrey Police, experienced one of the largest drops in complaints to the IPCC. Complaints in Surrey fell by 28 per cent, but nationally, overall, the number went up.

IPCC chairman Nick Hardwick said: "This is the third year that the total number of complaints recorded against the police has risen. It appears that the large rises in complaints which we initially saw following the introduction of the new complaints system have now slowed and that the picture is stabilising."

Earlier this month, The Argus reported complaints directly to the force had risen by 67 per cent between April 2006 and March 2007.

Superintendent Cliff Parrot, of Sussex Police, said: "More complainants have heard of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and are reporting directly to them. This has encouraged more reporting."

He said changes in the way the force records complaints and the culture of complaining also explained the increase.

He added: "I think there is a trend in society for people to be more likely to complain than, say, five or ten years ago."

Overall the watchdog recorded 28,998 cases during 2006-07, 2,700 more than the previous year.

The IPCC said its figures showed that neglect, failure of duty and incivility accounted for 45 per cent of all recorded allegations.

Almost half of these complaints were dealt with locally.

Only one in ten of the complaints which were formally investigated were upheld.

The reasons given by the commission for the rise were increased awareness and accessibility, the improved recording of complaints and the availability of the IPCC Telephone Complaints Centre.

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