Members of the public can now choose to have grievances about misbehaviour by police officers settled more quickly under a new, less formal, complaints mechanism.
The 'expression of dissatisfaction' scheme, launched recently, allows people to complain about minor misconduct at a police station or to the Complaints Against Police Office (Capo), the force's internal complaint-investigation unit.
But instead of launching a formal investigation, an 'expression of dissatisfaction' will be handed on by Capo to the commander of the officer concerned, who will then remind the officer about his or her behaviour
Capo will be made aware of all cases, and will step in to investigate serious cases. Complaints under the new system will be settled more quickly and will allow Capo and the Independent Police Complaints Council to focus on serious misconduct. Capo centralised the investigation of complaints last year - minor complaints were previously handled at district-level police stations - and has faced criticism over how long investigations take to conclude.
Chief Superintendent Duncan McCosh of the police's complaints and internal investigations branch, said the scheme would offer an effective way for people to air grievances.
'There are a lot of people that don't want a formal investigation ... They just want to have their say,' he said. McCosh said officers who were the subject of complaints would be given a chance to defend themselves.
The IPCC will be given basic details of all cases.