MORE complaints were upheld against Lancashire police officers than against any other force in the country last year.

From April 1 until December 31, 29 per cent of investigated allegations against its own officers were upheld by Lancashire Constabulary.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The national average was 14 per cent, data released by the Independent Police Complaints Commission revealed.

In 2013, complaints levelled against officers across the county totalled 877, a rise of 13 per cent compared to the year before.

And last year, the figure stood at 1,450 — a further increase of 60 per cent — although 199 of them were later withdrawn.

The topic of complaints ranged from neglect or failure in duty, which accounted for 33 per cent of all allegations, incivility, inpoliteness and intolerance, assault, oppressive conduct, and breach of a police code on detention, treatment and questioning allegations.

IPCC data shows 73 per cent were locally resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction, six per cent were investigated, 15 per cent were withdrawn and 29 per cent were upheld. Six per cent were either discontinued or disapplied, documents said.

A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring that high professional standards are maintained and we are focused on delivering a quality of service.

“On occasions when this does not prove the case, we aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible and to the complainant’s satisfaction. The IPCC data reflects this, with around three in every four allegations made during this period being locally resolved.

“We take all complaints seriously and ensure that they are investigated in a fair and thorough manner. Our commitment to this is demonstrated by the number of allegations upheld within the timescales reported.

“We act on all forms of feedback, using it as an opportunity to make improvements which will continue to be the focus of the constabulary.”