Mel Gibson's arrest on suspicion of drink-driving was handled properly and no favouritism was shown to the film star when he was arrested by sheriffs in Los Angeles, a watchdog has said.

The LA Office of Independent Review said there was no evidence police tried to cover up Mr Gibson's now infamous anti-Semitic comments.

After a media reports of his outburst, the Oscar-winning director eventually admitted making a number of "harmful" comments when he was stopped for speeding under the influence in Malibu on Friday, and appealed to the Jewish community for forgiveness.

His statement, in which he asked to meet with Jewish groups to "discern the appropriate path for healing," came after it was reported he had told the arresting officer: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars of the world," and asked him: "Are you a Jew?"

But a police spokesman initially said the arrest went "without incident", and did not mention Gibson's remarks, giving rise to concerns that officers had tried to cover the incident up.

Michael Gennaco, a lawyer representing the Office of Independent Review, said that an initial probe showed sheriffs did not give Gibson favourable treatment.

He added that the final arrest report would include inflammatory comments made by Gibson. That report will be made public when prosecutors present their case, at a date yet to be decided.

The announcement came as the United States' Jewish groups expressed willingness to forgive Mr Gibson for his verbal onslaught.

Abraham H Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, which is one of America's biggest Jewish lobby groups, said: "I'd like to put it behind him, I hope he wants to put it behind him, but you need to work at it."

The sheriff's department has consistently denied any cover-up over the arrest.

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the department, said that, after Mr Gibson was released from jail on $5,000 (£2,666) bail, a deputy drove him to a tow yard to retrieve his car, which he said was "within department policy".

"It's within our policy to help people out and also to avoid a possible conflict," Mr Whitmore said.

"We didn't want Mr Gibson to get into any kind of disturbance with the paparazzi."

Mr Gibson, 50, won a best director Oscar for his 1995 film Braveheart, in which he also starred.

His 2004 epic, The Passion of the Christ, was recently named the most controversial movie to date by US magazine Entertainment Weekly. It outraged Jewish groups when it was initially screened both in the US and Britain.

A new film, Apocalypto, is set 3,000 years ago in Central America and features dialogue spoken in an obscure Mayan dialect.

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