Complaints about Sussex Police staff rose by 40% last year with nearly 2,000 recorded allegations against the force.

Figures released by the force show that the number of complainants has also risen by a similar amount.

Complaints relating to sexual conduct and discrimination based on sex have increased. Allegations of police perpetrated violence against women and girls have sharply fallen.

The force says that the rise in figures matches a national trend of increased complaints against police.

Complaints in cases involving domestic or gender abuse have risen significantly.

The number of recorded complaints based on discriminatory behaviour has also risen, however a police spokesman said this was linked to a change in how the figures are recorded.

In total, 1,844 allegations were made about Sussex Police officers and staff during the period between April 1 and December 31 last year.

In the last three months of 2023, 1,949 complaints were solved - and only one led to further investigation and misconduct proceedings.

The service provided by Sussex Police was deemed to be not acceptable in 259 cases, meaning the incidents were not dealt with in a reasonable or proportionate manner.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Gillies, of Sussex Police’s Professional Standards Department, said: “An overall increase in complaints recorded under Schedule 3 of the PRA 2002 by Sussex Police over the past 12 months mirrors a national trend, following a significant decrease from 2021 to 2022.

“Sussex Police is committed to providing the best possible service to the public and, where that service may have fallen below the expected standard, we proactively investigate and take necessary action.

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“Any complaints made by the public against our employees are managed via our public confidence team and subject to thorough internal investigations with independent oversight and scrutiny.

“Sussex Police is one of the few forces in the country to record complaints such as these in this way, to increase transparency and afford complainants the right to request independent reviews.

“This has led to an expected increase in the number of recorded complaints with a discrimination element but is an indicator of our commitment to fully understanding these issues and reaching satisfactory resolutions.”

The force added that between April and December 2023 ten complaints of discrimination were subject to an individual review but in all cases the service was deemed reasonable and proportionate.

DCI Gillies continued: “Any report of police-perpetrated violence against women and girls is one too many, but an 86% decrease in the number of complaints since 2021 is testament to the huge amount of work we have carried out to root out this unacceptable behaviour.”