COMPLAINTS against police officers have fallen by more than a quarter over the last 12 months.

Official statistics for the past year show a decrease in the number of people unhappy with the force with the number of complaints falling to around 700.

The figures will be discussed when Lancashire Police Authority's complaints committee meets next week, along with figures for April and June, which also show a decrease.

Detailed figures are to come under scrutiny and ways of making improvements will be discussed.

Police bosses welcomed the fall and vowed to continue working to improve public satisfaction with officers' behaviour.

From April to March 1999-2000 there were 917 complaints against officers, compared to just 682 for the same period in 2000-2001. The vast majority of complaints arose directly from the arrest of complainants or a close relative, 54 per cent or 369 of all complaints recorded. The most common category of complaint was about assault by police officers with 190 complaints made under this heading.

Other areas people complained about were police officers being rude, with 92 complaints received, oppressive conduct or harassment, 76 complaints, neglect of duty, 90 complaints and unlawful arrest, 48 complaints received. All the categories showed a decrease on the previous year.

Of the complaints investigated by police bosses only 26 had been substantiated, 275 unsubstantiated and 293 informally resolved.