COMPLAINTS of neglect, assault, discrimination and lack of fairness were among the 62 recorded against Gwent Police in the last quarter of 2012/13.

This was 28 per cent down on the number received in the previous quarter, when there were 86, a professional standards department performance report shows.

Overall, 18 complaints were recorded in January, 28 in February and 16 in March, which contained a total of 128 allegations.

This included nine allegations of assault, 65 of neglect of duty, 15 of oppressive conduct and 22 of inactivity.

There was one allegation of discriminatory behaviour, four citing a lack of fairness or impartiality and 12 which claimed police breached their duties when carrying out stop searches, arrests, detention and interviews.

Examples of neglect classifications include dissatisfactions with the way complainants have been treated by police, quality of service provided, being kept informed and up to date and custody issues, the report said.

Thirty per cent of all complaints were made against the Caerphilly local policing unit area and 28 per cent were against those in Newport – both of which have the force’s biggest concentration of staff and officers.

During the same three-month period officers dealt with a total of 13,898 incidents of crime in Newport and 12,380 in the Caerphilly local policing unit area.

This means complaints were made in relation to just 0.1 per cent of all incidents dealt with by the force.

The report says the professional standards department will monitor performance to ensure complaints and misconduct investigations are dealt with in a professional and timely manner.

The force will also work towards the principle of the Police Reform Act 2002 and the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to develop good practice by getting and putting things right, being customer focused, acting fairly and proportionately and seeking continuous improvement.