WILTSHIRE Police has been rated as ‘good’ in a new report while other forces nationally have come under fire for letting victims down, shelving cases and leaving suspects to go untracked.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) published its findings yesterday and found that Wiltshire Police was ‘good’ across the board in areas including tackling anti-social behaviour, reducing re-offending, protecting victims and tackling serious and organised crime.

In the report, HMIC found that in the 12 months to June last year there was a 14.4 per cent increase in recorded crime compared to the national average of 7.8 per cent.

But inspectors believe the rise can be attributed to victims having more confidence in the force.

The report said: “Wiltshire Police understands the communities it serves and the threats they face. Problem solving is undertaken with other organisations as appropriate.

“In 2015 we reported that the force should make improvements in a number of areas and the force has made progress in all of the areas. In relation to the skills of the officers and staff investigating domestic abuse, the force has ensured that they have either received enhanced training or are scheduled to undertake the relevant training. We are satisfied that most of the cases reviewed in this inspection were investigated and supervised by staff with appropriate skills and experience.”

The force was also praised for having an above average victim satisfaction rate standing at 84.3 per cent.

But despite the glowing report, HMIC still believe Wiltshire Police could improve further especially when it comes to evidential difficulties of cases as 17.2 per cent of offences saw a suspect be identified but the victim unwilling to support prosecution.

The report added: “Wiltshire Police’s performance in relation to reducing re-offending is mixed. Where specialist teams exist to manage high-risk offenders, there is a strong focus on preventing these offenders from causing further harm. By contrast, some weaknesses exist in relation to offenders who are deemed to be of lower risk.

“In particular, HMIC has concerns regarding the management of individuals who are wanted by the force or have been named by victims as having committed a crime.”

Chief constable Mike Veale said while he welcomes the report, he isn’t complacent and knows his officers will face more challenges in the future.

He added: “Realistically my force cannot be expected to deal with all the ills of society, which is how it feels on occasion. While you may think a ‘good’ grading should be the ‘norm’, the reality is that we have achieved this frankly marvellous result under unprecedented pressure and the worst amount of funding of all forces bar two. These high standards have been delivered during a period of intense organisational change making these results even more impressive.

“To be able to work through such challenges and still provide an independently assessed, high quality of service is testament to the outstanding efforts of the staff, officers and Special Constables who work here.

“I hope that you will help buck the negative trend towards policing and take any opportunity, however small, to show your gratitude to all the emergency services who help keep you safe. Tell me about your experiences, shake the hand of the next officer, PCSO or police staff member you see, tell these hard working people that you appreciate them.

“Wiltshire Police is not just a good force; it’s a force with ambition, drive and determination.”

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon added: “I think the report has proven that what we have done over the last four years is working and we are up to standards.

“Victim support is at the heart of the police and crime plan and I think the report recognises that policing will be under pressure and is currently under pressure.

“Wiltshire is at the cutting edge of policing with its use of technology and we are leading the way.

“We have developed our own systems and cultures and I think there is a lot of learning that we can share from one another. I am not saying that Wiltshire is the best by any means but I would like to see how other forces work and learn from them.”