AVON and Somerset Police has received a 'good' rating in the annual HMIC State of Policing Report for 2016 laid before Parliament today (Thursday).

The Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) report aims to give the public information about how their local force is performing in several important areas, in a way that is comparable both across England and Wales and year on year.

Wendy Williams, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: “I am very pleased with the overall performance of Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

“I am particularly impressed by the force’s comprehensive understanding of the existing demand for its services, which is based on a wide range of information and a sophisticated appreciation of the capacity of the workforce and workload it carries.

“The force is adept at restructuring and modernising its workforce to equip it with the skills to meet future needs.

"It has achieved this through close alignment of the force’s financial and workforce planning, which has, for example, increased the force’s capacity to investigate child abuse and serious sexual offences.

“I am pleased with the improved effectiveness with which the force keeps the people of Avon and Somerset safe and reduces crime.

"In particular, the force has improved its response to missing children and domestic abuse and the quality of its investigations.

“Since our inspection in 2014, the force has made concerted efforts to improve the accuracy with which it records crimes and it has made progress in placing the victim at the forefront of crime-recording decisions.

“I welcome the progress the force has made in addressing some of the concerns that were raised by our inspection of police custody.

“In summary, the force provides a good level of service to the people of Avon and Somerset.

"I commend the force for having maintained and in some respects, improved its performance, since my previous assessment."

Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said he is pleased with the report, which acknowledged the progress the force had made during the past 12 months.

He added: “We have been praised for being good at preventing crime, anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe; investigating crime and reducing re-offending; and protecting those who are vulnerable from harm and supporting victims.

“The past year has been a time of transition and HMIC inspectors have recognised the very hard work and commitment of officers and staff in achieving some significant improvement.

"Keeping local communities safe, supporting vulnerable victims and reducing crime are the highest priorities for us.

"Neighbourhood policing is central to that and we will continue to preserve the numbers of frontline officers and PCSOs.”