ONE in five crimes reported to a rural police force is ignored — including rape and violence.
Gloucestershire Constabulary is accused by the police watchdog of “failing vulnerable victims”.
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It did not record 7,900 offences reported in a year.
Officers and staff do not understand the “basic” rules of putting cases on the books, and often do not believe victims.
And it sometimes takes more than a week to launch an investigation.
A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary gives the force the lowest rating of “inadequate” for crime recording.
It says: “It must now work hard to make the necessary improvements so that victims of crime can be confident their reports will be taken seriously, recorded and investigated.”
Inspectors found only 81.6 per cent of crimes reported to Gloucestershire in 2018 were recorded.
Even when crimes are recorded, there are “unnecessary and unacceptable delays” in supporting victims.
Thames Valley Police is also graded inadequate for crime recording.
It has improved since a damning inspection two years ago but is still failing to record one in ten reported offences.
And it has “got worse” at handling rape claims that turned out not to be crimes.
One “distressed” victim of forced marriage said her family were controlling and she had attempted suicide — but officers did not visit her.
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