“CONCERTED efforts” have been made by Avon and Somerset Police to improve accuracy in crime recording, an inspection has shown.

The review by HMIC announced yesterday recognise the progress made by officers and staff in prioritising victims during crime-recording decisions

Following the last inspection in 2014, the force began introducing mesasures to make improvements.

These include the appointment of our first dedicated force crime and incident registrar, the introduction of a new crime management system and a chief officer lead to drive force-wide improvements in crime and data integrity

Among other improvements, a new approach to place the victim firmly at the heart of crime recording has been promoted, as well as new robust processes to ensure filing of crimes is compliant and ethical.

However, ACC Nikki Watson, force lead for crime recording, acknowledged and agreed with HMIC comments that the force could work towards a better level of accuracy and that more work remains to be done.

She said: “Since our last inspection in 2014 we’ve made great strides in improving our crime recording accuracy, but there’s still more work to be done.

"The inspectors identified areas for improvement and we welcome their recommendations.

“Their independent scrutiny is invaluable to us in highlighting areas requiring particular focus and, most importantly, in helping us to improve our service to victims.”