Sir, During the last two years, police officers at Tenby, Saundersfoot and Narberth have attended close on 14,000 incidents ranging from serious acts of violence to other more mundane matters. During this same period, officers have enforced traffic and parking regulations and issued many hundreds of fixed penalty notices etc. At many incidents that officers attend, their involvement is often unwelcome and sometimes they face outright hostility and sometimes worse. Given this background, it is hardly surprising that sometimes complaints about police officers are made. Many complaints against police are genuine, but some are not. All, though, are taken very seriously and investigated under the rigorous supervision of the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) by the Professional Standards Unit at Force Headquarters. In the last two years, officers at Tenby, Saundersfoot and Narberth have attracted 17 complaints, most of which were found to be unsubstantiated or were withdrawn before investigation. On average, this equates to roughly one complaint per officer every four years.
Insp. Les Clark,
Tenby Police Station, Warren Street, Tenby.