POLICE are to receive training on how to make a good first impression after a ‘worrying’ rise in reports of officers being rude.

But John O’Reilly, Lancashire Police Federation chairman, said he would be concerned that any ‘incivility training’ would be ‘another step towards political correctness gone mad’.

The details were released in a report of complaints recorded or finalised between April 1 and September 30, 2009, presented to a Lancashire Police Authority meeting.

Members of the committee were ‘very concerned’ at the figure of 155 incivility complaints in six months, with the force saying it was taking the matter seriously.

The report said: “It was felt that more training was needed for officers explaining what could be considered as incivility and what the constabulary expects from its officers.

“The professional standards department is working with the training centre to impress the importance of first impressions and civility.”

In response to the report, Superintendent Martyn Leveridge told the committee that incivility and timeliness complaints now made up 30 per cent of the total number of complaints received by the Constabulary.

The Constabulary revealed incivility complaints recorded between April 1, 2008 and September 30, 2008 were 133 – compared to 155 for this year, a rise of 22 or 16 per cent.

A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary said: “Allegations of incivility are always taken seriously as we recognise that this can affect the confidence of our communities in the services we provide and we are keen to take every opportunity we can to put things right where we have not done so in the first instance, and to learn from any mistakes that we may have made.”

But Mr O’Reilly said: “I’ve heard nothing official about training, but my immediate reaction is it would be just another step to political correctness gone mad.

“There’s nothing wrong, if there is evidence of an increase, of officers being informed and asked to behave in a manner we expect.

“I've heard of other constabularies sending out a portfolio of how to address people.

“We would have a similar negative reaction as prison officers having to call inmates 'sir'.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission’s definition of ‘incivility’ is impoliteness and intolerance.