The number of complaints against Cheshire Police has fallen by 12 per cent. New figures reveal more than 400 grievances were made against the police force.

Members of the public lodged complaints about a range of issues including excessive use of force and neglect of duty.

The numbers cover 2011 and represent a decrease on the previous year when 476 complaints were made about the police.

Cheshire Police force was in line with national averages for the time taken to deal with locally resolved cases, but took longer than other British forces to deal with complaints which required further investigation. Detective Superintendent John Armstrong, head of professional standards, welcomed the IPCC’s report.

He said: "Cheshire makes good use of the IPCC’s concept of the meritorious complaint. Any complaint which has been found to have merit will be upheld in Cheshire irrespective of whether an officer has breached any standard of professional behaviour.

"We welcome this report and will continue to work closely with the IPCC to provide reassurance we are capable of meeting the needs of complainants whilst being fair to officers, and to ensure those whose conduct sometimes falls below expectations are properly held to account."