CHESHIRE Police have cause for celebration this week after recording a drop in complaints about the force for the past year.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission 2004/2005 national figures, which were revealed at the recent Police Authority meeting, also showed an increase in the number of complaints resolved at local level.

The region saw a general decrease in the complaints made against officers and police staff, with 27 compulsory complaints - ranging from neglect of duty to incivility - received by the IPCC and a further six cases volunteered.

Of these 33 incidents, the IPCC supervised 14 with the other 19 cases not requiring their involvement and neglect of duty accounted for the highest number of concerns.

Deputy Ch Con Graeme Gerrard said: "Any arrest requires a certain level of force and this is where officers have complaints of assault made against them.

"People making assault complaints often allege officers have gone too far. We did not expect to see a significant reduction in the number of complaints made in this category."

Mr Gerrard said he is happy with the IPCC findings, adding: "Last year we recorded 961 complaints and this year we have seen the number drop to 721, a reduction of 240.

"The reduction in complaints is testimony to the hard work and dedication of staff and our professionalism. The figures suggest we are improving the way we treat victims and deal with offenders.

"They are encouraging and I believe the public have the confidence in Cheshire Police to come forward and report a problem concerning staff conduct when we do get it wrong."

Cheshire Police dealt with 153,000 calls between April 2005 and March 2006 and made 28,262 arrests.