Complaints about police officers went up in Cumbria last year - despite a drop in the number received nationwide.

National police complaints statistics for England and Wales were released this week and reveal Cumbria Constabulary recorded 335 complaints during the 2017/18 year - an increase of nine per cent.

They included 200 allegations, an increase of eight per cent on the previous 12 months.

Overall, the number of complaints made about officers across the country fell by seven per cent compared with the 2016/17 year, while the number of allegations also decreased.

The data also shows there is a wide discrepency in the way different forces deal with complaints recorded against them.

Some go through the formal complaints procedure while others are processed through the 'local resolution' route.

In Cumbria, 63 per cent of complaints were handled using local resolution, compared to a national average of 42 per cent.

A spokesman for the force said that while the constabulary had seen a small rise in complaints, the number remained relatively low.

"This small rise has been in relation to complaints that are suitable for local resolution, which are at the less serious end of the scale.

"Local resolution is a flexible process that may be adapted to the needs of the complainant and the individual complaint.

"The actions taken to resolve a complaint locally will depend on the substance of the complaint and the discussion that has taken place with the complainant."

The spokesman said local resolution could include finding a resolution face to face or over the telephone, providing information or an explanation, mediation between the complainant and the person complained about, as well as an apology.

They added: "The slight increase is believed to be partly as a result of a greater awareness of the public of how to report their dissatisfaction.

"It could also show a greater confidence in the public of the process for making a report and the belief that their report will be taken seriously and acted upon.

"It is also noted that the number of appeals remains low, which is an indication that complainants have been satisfied with the outcome of their complaint."

Now, the Independent Office for Police Conduct is calling for the complaints process to be simplified after labelling the system 'overly complex'.

IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe said: “When these statistics are published, it’s important to look beyond the numbers and remember that behind every complaint there is someone who is unhappy with their experience or the service they’ve received from the police.

"It’s vital for public confidence that forces across our region use this data, and most importantly the experiences of the individual complainants, to continually improve the service they provide.

"This information can also help police forces to highlight any common trends from local communities that they may need to respond to.

"The drop in recorded complaints indicates that police forces are already adopting some of the changes to deal with less serious complaints outside of the formal system.

"We will continue to work hard across our region to ensure that the police view complaints as an opportunity to improve the service they provide to their communities.”

Thirty-nine per cent of complaints made against police nationally fall into a broadly-defined ‘other neglect or failure in duty’ category.

The second largest category - ‘incivility, impoliteness and intolerance’ - accounted for 12 per cent of all complaints.

A number of changes to the complaints system are now set to be introduced in 2019.

This will include improving how allegations are defined to give more clarity about what is specifically being complained about.

Ms Rowe added: "We are hopeful that the changes coming through next year will make the system much more consistent and transparent; this will benefit the public and the police service."