Twelve complaints against Police are waiting to be dealt with by the new body set up to investigate officers.

The five-member Police Complaints Authority, unveiled yesterday, does not officially start inquiries until next Monday.

But authority chairman Coles Diel revealed that a stack of complaints was already in line for the board's attention.

Governor Thorld Masefield and Home Affairs Minister Maxwell Burgess hailed the new authority as a watchdog to monitor the Police.

Mr. Burgess said: "The message is that no-one is above the law in our country.

"Being open and even-handed and accountable are the keys to fairness and building trust. These in turn are vital to the development of a thriving and equal society.

"The community must always have the ability to contact a neutral third party to mediate and sort out disputes.'' Mr. Masefield added that the authority would replace the now-defunct Police Complaints Review Board, seen as toothless by Government officials.

"This is a key element to the relationship between the Police and the community,'' he added.

"An important element in this co-operation and trust is if something goes wrong or if something appears to go wrong, or if someone has a doubt, that there is a proper mechanism for establishing complaints and then investigating them impartially, thoroughly and quickly.

"I'm particularly grateful to those who have put a lot of work into creating a new authority taking account of modern ideas and a modern approach.'' Authority chairman Mr. Diel said the new body, modelled on a similar board in New Zealand, had a true cutting edge -- "real powers'' and "statutory authority''.

He added that anybody could file a complaint directly to the authority without speaking to a Police officer first, saying up to 12 had already been transferred from the old Review Board.

But all verbal complaints will be put into writing and must then be signed before they can be acted on, he added.

Complaints made directly to the Police will be transferred to the authority via Police Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay.

"We have powers of direction and supervision of the investigation of a complaint,'' said Mr. Diel.

"Basically, we will direct an investigation of a complaint via the Police. We also have the authority to do the investigation ourselves if we wish to.'' The authority cannot order disciplinary action -- but can give "powerful suggestions'' on how a complaint should be resolved.

"If the Police Commissioner disagrees, a report can be tabled in the House of Assembly as a public report,'' added Mr. Diel.

"It's not our business to discipline the Police. It's our business to make sure an appropriate result happens if we find a Police officer has been negligent or remiss in his duty.'' Mr. Diel, backed by authority members Alan Dunch, Michelle Gabisi, Kim Swan and Karen Rawlins, said inquiry proceedings would not be made public but statistics would be given in annual reports.

Anyone who wants to file a complaint before the authority takes effect and without speaking to Police should call the Ministry on 297-7822.