SCOTLAND'S largest police force has been criticised for failing to properly deal with complaints about the way it carried out an investigation into allegations of internet abuse.

Professor John McNeill, the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS), said there were "various deficiencies" in the way the case was handled by Strathclyde Police, and has called for improvements to be made to the way complaints are dealt with on a local level.

Four complaints were made by an unnamed woman after she took issue with a constable who was looking into allegations that offensive comments had been posted on Facebook.

The comments were made by relatives of the woman about the ex-partner of her dead brother, and centered on a vehicle and property alleged to have been taken from his flat.

The woman had initially contacted police after these items were removed, and was told it was a civil matter. She then found herself the subject of a separate investigation after the comments were posted on the internet.

Among her claims were that the constable had intimidated her, that he had acted outside his authority and that the local Inspector investigating her concerns had not carried out a full and impartial investigation.

It was only when the PCCS requested the case papers from Strathclyde Police that the force's own Professional Standards Department in Pitt Street reviewed the original complaints. At that time they identified and remedied various deficiencies in the initial handling of the complaints.

In his eight-page report into the woman's case, the Commissioner accepted that Strathclyde Police is taking measures to improve the standard of its local complaint handling, through a newly created complaints assurance group, and went on to state that he will be looking for evidence of progress being made by the group.

Mr McNeill said: "I am a firm believer in the benefits of local complaints handling in certain circumstances, when done well it can deliver swift action and resolution for the person making the complaint."

Superintendent Val McInytre, of Strathclyde Police's Professional Standards Department, said: "Strathclyde Police is committed to ensuring the public remain confident in its handling of complaints. Our complaint-handling process identified the issues raised and steps were taken to rectify the deficiencies."