Gloucestershire Constabulary has joined police forces across the UK in launching the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service.

The service, run by independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, has been launched on Thursday (March 14).

It provides an anonymous and confidential route for the public to report concerns, online or via a dedicated phone line, about serving police officers, staff and volunteers who are suspected of being corrupt or committing serious abuse.

Gloucestershire Constabulary is joining all Forces in using the service as part of its drive to improve standards and culture within the police.

The reports will be taken by Crimestoppers before being passed onto the Constabulary's Professional Standards Department for further assessment.

The information may then be passed to specialist detectives to begin an investigation, take steps to safeguard someone at risk or in danger, or record the information to inform future investigations.

The new Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service sits alongside the Force's existing complaints procedure for the public and will only deal with reports of corruption and serious abuse. This includes:

• Providing information or influence in return for money or favours;

• Using a policing position for personal advantage - whether financial or otherwise;

• Crossing professional boundaries or abusing their position for sexual purposes;

• Abusing or controlling their partner, or those they have a relationship with;

• Engaging in racist, homophobic, misogynistic or disablist conduct, on or off duty, in person or online.

Detective Superintendent Alastair Stenner, head of the professional standards department, said "We know that the vast majority of our colleagues are professional, committed and passionate about safeguarding communities. This is why we are united in our shared determination to rid policing of those who fall below the high standards we expect of each other, and that the public rightly expects and deserves.

"The Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service will help us to operate with the trust and confidence of the public by providing a route to report wrongdoing, independent of policing.

"All reports will be thoroughly assessed by our Professional Standards Department, and where appropriate, a full investigation will take place to collect information and evidence to ensure that the right action is taken. Where we find evidence of deliberate malicious reporting, we would take action against those doing so."

Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said: "Our officers put themselves in harm's way every day and are held to high esteem because of this.

"Despite the majority of officers and staff being upstanding citizens, there are people working within police forces that shouldn't be.

"Safeguarding the public is of utmost importance so I fully support the new Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service. It is another way our police force can be held to account and the public can report concerns."