MORE than 3,000 allegations of misconduct, including assault, corruption and unlawful arrest, have been made against Surrey police officers in the last two years, the Mirror can reveal.
The figures, which were released following a Freedom of Information request, show that during 2011 and 2012 – which are the most up-to-date figures available – 1,175 complaints were made to Surrey police, featuring a total of 3,147 allegations.
Among the more serious accusations were 300 for assault, 39 regarding irregularity in evidence and perjury, and 23 allegations of corruption.
The information released to the Mirror reveals the majority of allegations – 2,026 – were either not upheld or were withdrawn or discontinued, leading some to suggest they may be "nuisance claims" made by criminals looking to get back at the officers who arrested them.
Claims that were upheld included complaints of breaching the Police and Criminal Evidence Act with regard to entering or seizing property, unlawful arrest and improper disclosure of information.
Former police inspector Mike Ledwidge, who was a police officer for 29 years, said he had known of spurious complaints being made.
"Many of the complaints are obviously used as a way of attacking the service," he said. "A number of complaints are revenge or complainants trying to reduce the issues for them, but I'm also conscious of the fact that there are some [officers] who behave badly."
He added that pressure to meet Government targets could have led to more allegations – particularly those around false arrest.
"The problem is that the job's very difficult and the people the police deal with will almost always be the difficult ones. But another of the problems has been Government targets. If you get targets for arrests then maybe you arrest them when you shouldn't or otherwise wouldn't."
Nathan Rees, a spokesman for Surrey Police, said: "Surrey Police takes all complaints extremely seriously and will work hard with the complainant to resolve them to their satisfaction. The force expects high standards from all staff and has a Professional Standards Department (PSD) dedicated to investigating complaints, identifying learning and sharing good practice."
He added that appropriate action was always taken when a complaint or allegation was upheld.