Complaints against Sussex Police officers have gone down, but the force is deliberately not recording as many.

Following a review, minor complaints are now being dealt with informally and not being logged.

There were 392 from April 1 to June 30, compared with 507 in the same period last year.

A report to the Sussex Police Authority, which meets on Thursday, said the figures reflected a general downward trend but it explained why fewer complaints were now being chronicled.

The report said: "This review did not mean Sussex was not recording complaints any less properly than before but there was a need to change the processes which had resulted in police officers tending to regard many matters raised with them by the public as complaints.

"It was considered that many of the those matters could have been dealt with at source locally by management.

"Dealing with matters in this way should improve service to the public in that matters would be dealt with more quickly and satisfactorily."

The report said complaints of oppressive conduct, neglect of duty and incivility were down but there had been an increase in alleged assaults which arose through the use of handcuffs.