Police reject Claudia inquiry criticism

The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has been commissioned by the North Yorkshire force to again carry out an external review.

But Martin Dales, a close friend of Ms Lawrence's father, Peter, who lives in Old Malton, said while he welcomed the new perspective it was another example of "police policing police". He said: "What is really needed now is an urgent independent inquiry with a public report – nothing less will do and transparency is vital if trust is to be restored in North Yorkshire Police.

He accused police of being "uncivil, rude, abrupt and dismissive" towards people trying to help the inquiry and claimed he has yet to hear back from police about a series of tip-offs concerning four separate locations on the outskirts of York.

Chief Superintendent Iain Spittal, Chief of Staff for North Yorkshire Police, said yesterday that he was disappointed by the comments. "Nor do they reflect Mr Lawrence's views," he added.

"The investigation has, and continues to be a thorough, professional but challenging inquiry. Many calls have been made to the incident room over the past year and thousands of lines of enquiries developed.

"Due to the volume, it is not always possible to provide feedback on every call. Mr Lawrence has recently been personally briefed by the senior investigating officer and expressed his satisfaction over the conduct and progress of the investigation."

Chief Executive of the Police Authority Jeremy Holderness added: "We are exercising appropriate scrutiny on behalf of the public through updates given by the investigation team and are satisfied in the processes being undertaken."

Mr Spittal said they had not received any complaints regarding incivility or rudeness by staff, and if Mr Dales would give the names of people who felt badly treated he would look into it.