INSPECTORS have praised Essex Police for preventing and investigating crime but told the force it must improve its response to the public.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) has released findings relating to the force.

The police's treatment of the public, use of resources and developing a positive workplace were all rated as good.  

But Essex Police received a requires improvement rating for responding to the public.

Inspector Roy Wilsher said the force needs to improve the time it takes to respond to non-emergency public calls for service and reduce the abandonment rate and wait times.

Four other areas were rated as adequate. 

The force has said that work is already underway to address points raised in the report.

This includes improving response to non-emergency calls by recruiting more than 55 jobs and reviewing workloads. 

It will also improve its service to victims of crime by improving training to help the most vulnerable. 

The force will work to ensure that the most serious offenders, once they have completed custodial sentences, are dealt with appropriately.

The report said: “Essex Police has an ethos of early intervention to prevent crime.

“It uses analysis to identify crime hotspots and responds effectively with other organisations to tackle entrenched criminality and anti-social behaviour.

“It has developed a coordinated and forward-thinking approach to reducing crime.”

Essex Police Chief Constable BJ Harrington QPM said: “Every Essex Police officer, police staff colleague and volunteer is dedicated to catching criminals and making Essex an even safer place to live and work.

“Today’s report shows we are focused on preventing crimes and anti-social behaviour from taking place and that we value all our communities.

“We also make the most of the resources we have and as the report says, we look after our people so they can do the very best for the villages, towns and cities which we protect and serve.

“For every pound we receive, we put more officers on the street than any other force in England and Wales.

“We have a clear plan to ensure that we deliver a better response to anyone who calls us for help and this is well underway, with new officers joining us all the time to make this possible.”