DORSET Police has increased its controls over crime recording after an inspection raised some ‘serious concerns’ over accuracy.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) carried out the inspection into all police forces in England and Wales questioning the extent police-recorded crime information can be trusted.

Crime records between November 2012 and October 31, 2013 were examined along with samples of out-of-court disposals including penalty notices for disorder, cannabis warning and community resolutions.

No-crime decisions for rape, robbery and violence were also looked at.

Despite praise for their general focus on raising crime-recording standards, Dorset Police were criticised by HMIC for the accuracy of some aspects of their crime recording.

Out of 87 incident records, of which 87 crimes should have been recorded, inspectors found only 61 were and five of those were wrongly classified.

The report says: “This is of serious concern as it means that some victims’ crimes are not being recorded and they are not getting the service they deserve.”

The inspection also looked at 55 reports which were recorded separately on other force systems.

Of these 55, 14 crimes should have been recorded but only one was.

“As some of these records related to sexual offences and assaults on children and vulnerable adults, this is a significant cause for concern”, the report states.

In relation to control room logging of crime, it was noted: “There is a lack of supervisory oversight of NCRS (National Crime Recording Standard) compliance and a persistent use of non-crime classifications to close logs when a crime should have been recorded.

“This issue is of material concern and should be addressed by the force, not least to ensure the best possible service to victims.”

In cases of rape, Dorset Police were praised for their “strong-victim focus”, with every victim consulted prior to the investigation being closed.

Overall the recommendations included ensuring that victims’ views are taken into account on out-of-court disposals and called for particular attention to be paid in the control room.

Mobile phone thefts

Recommendations included ensuring staff were aware of the need to treat reports of mobile phone theft the same as other crimes.

Concerns were raised over guidance issued to officers saying people needed to report incidents of mobile phone theft in person at a police station.

The guidance said a crime number would only be issued if a device’s id number was given. This was against national recommendations.

Dorset Police response

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said they welcomed the report.

"In particular, and contrary to some common national concerns that crime recording is influenced by ‘target-chasing’, the inspection found that recording decisions in Dorset were not unduly influenced by performance pressure and that staff in the Force sought to act ethically in line with the facts of a case.

"This was evidenced in the Force’s ‘no-crime’ approach, the term used when the police declassify a crime after it has been reported and investigated.

"The HMIC found tight management and high standards in this area, with their specific review of sexual offences finding that every rape victim was consulted prior to any decisions being made.

"The inspection also found a strong focus on victims elsewhere, such as a high proportion of community resolutions properly considering victims’ needs and the introduction of a dedicated Victims Bureau, influenced by the Police & Crime Commissioner, which has improved how victims of crime are kept up to date.

"In line with other forces across the country, the HMIC found that some crimes were not being correctly recorded based on national standards.

"While all crimes reported directly from a victim were recorded correctly, some crimes resulting from incident reports were not correctly identified and recorded.

"Furthermore, the use of separate systems in some sensitive areas of policing, such as domestic abuse and child protection, meant that investigations on these systems were not always correctly recorded as crimes on the Force’s main systems.

"It is important to note that the HMIC examined the administrative process of recording crimes, not the quality of investigations into them.

"For example, while this HMIC inspection identifies recording issues around some sensitive areas of policing, another of their inspections earlier this year found that Dorset Police is one of the best in the country in its approach to domestic abuse investigations.

Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan added: “Dorset Police focuses on responding to victims’ needs and actively manages any risks to the public in how we prioritise and investigate. I am pleased this victim-focused approach is identified by the HMIC in a number of areas of crime recording.

“I am also reassured that they found the Force not to have an unhealthy target-chasing culture, with officers and staff who seek to make ethical crime recording decisions based on the facts of a case.

"However, I recognise that our administrative approach and systems have sometimes fallen short of the standards expected.

“It is important that the public can have faith not just in our approach to investigations and how we treat them as victims, but also in how we record crimes and report back to them so they can hold us to account. As a Force, accurate data is also essential to help us correctly prioritise our resources.

“The HMIC has made a number of recommendations that we will be able to implement quickly to improve our crime recording where that is required.

"For example, we will ensure all crimes are correctly identified and recorded on a single system, including sensitive investigations that are currently recorded elsewhere. A new IT system we are introducing in March 2015 will assist this.

“A plan to fully meet all the recommendations has already been started, which is led by senior officers and subject to monthly review.”