HAMPSHIRE Constabulary has unveiled major changes to the way it records crime after “unacceptable weaknesses” were found in its current system.

A report by Government inspectors raised “serious concerns” that some crimes were not being recorded and that some reports of rape were being wrongly classed.

Inspectors found that officers were investigating crimes before recording them – instead of recording them first – which resulted in 20 per cent fewer crimes being recorded across the county.

Commenting on the report, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire Simon Hayes said: “I am concerned that Hampshire Constabulary has been found to be underrecording crime – especially for rape cases.

“It is critical that all victims receive an appropriate and consistent level of service from the police wherever a crime occurs. Failure to properly record crime can mean that people do not receive appropriate support from the constabulary and other support agencies.

“I will be holding the Chief Constable to account to ensure that any failings in compliance are rectified by the Constabulary as a matter of priority. Furthermore, today I am challenging the Government and HMIC to ensure that any future investigations and recommendations help to deliver a more effective service and build public confidence in the police.”

But while force chiefs admit that mistakes have been made when it comes to recording crime and that an action plan is in place to put that right, they insist there have been no failings when it comes to investigating the crimes themselves.

In fact Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) praised the force for its “strong victim focus” and found that any failings in crime recording were due to lack of knowledge and poor supervision, not as a result of “institutionalised performance pressure”.

The report looked at a sample of 127 incident records and while inspectors identified 112 crimes from those, Hampshire Constabulary had only recorded 67. The force says this can happen for several reasons, including if there is an incident involving multiple crimes which is recorded once.

When inspectors looked at 28 rapes recorded as no-crime – an incident initially recorded as a crime but after investigations has been found not to be – they discovered that 18 should have remained classified as rapes.

Bosses at the force have since reviewed those cases and every other one over the last three years and while they agree with HMIC’s findings, they found that each investigation was fully carried out and all alleged victims got the support they needed.

While the outcomes would not have been different for the complainants, the registering of the reported incident should have been more accurately recorded.

Det Supt Rachel Farrell said: “For almost a year we have been working with our staff and officers to change the process of how we record crime. This has been necessary as we cut back office staff in order to keep as many officers as possible on the frontline.

“It is also reassuring that our plans are judged to be comprehensive and that there is no evidence in Hampshire Constabulary of institutionalised performance pressure not to record crime correctly.”