The number of complaints made against Sussex Police has soared, according to a new report.

But Dr James Walsh, chairman of the Sussex Police Authority's complaints committee, said only a tiny fraction of the complaints were substantiated.

Complaints upheld against the force included an incident where a man called police alleging his daughter was sold pornographic videos by a man and an officer then failed to investigate.

Complaints rose 58 per cent between October 1 and December 31 compared to the same period in 1998. However, only one per cent were substantiated. The complaints committee of the Police Authority will meet on Wednesday to discuss the report, which shows there were 487 complaints against the force compared to 309 in the previous period.

A total of six complaints were upheld, including the pornographic videos case, where the officer also failed to make a proper record of property seized during a search of the alleged seller's home.

The report said the officer will receive "advice" from the Chief Constable. Other complaints included an incident where a squad car caused a traffic accident after being driven in "a negligent manner" and an incident at Gatwick Airport where an officer failed to properly investigate an assault.

Another case involved three officers interfering with a closed-circuit TV camera after entering private premises. Dr Walsh said: "We have been encouraging the proper and thorough recording of all complaints. The number of complaints successfully resolved is enormous and only one per cent were upheld. People often make complaints when they are arrested, but of all of those, not one was successfully upheld."

Nobody from Sussex Police was available for comment.

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