VICTIMS of crime are being let down by Dorset Police, according to government inspectors.

They claim a backlog of cases in the Safeguarding Referral Unit means “potentially vulnerable victims were either waiting an unacceptable time for services or missed altogether”.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said the force ‘Requires Improvement’ in the way it investigates offending.

But Dorset Police has hit back, claiming the assessment is “factually inaccurate” and that inspectors failed to observe the full process used by the Safeguarding Referral Unit to manage such cases.

Dorset is one of 18 out of 43 forces in England and Wales to receive the damning grade.

It was graded as “Good” in five other areas examined by the inspectors in the first ever PEEL (Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy) assessment.

The HMIC found that crime has continued to fall in Dorset at a greater than average rate in England and Wales, although levels of victim satisfaction are slightly below average for some crime types.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority for the force and Dorset Police has achieved large reductions in crime.

The force operates a good threat, risk and harm assessment process linked to effective force and local level tasking arrangements.

It also found that Dorset Police has made good progress in making savings and continuing to fight crime, in spite of the significant financial challenges of recent years.

Across England and Wales inspectors said there is a “deficit in skill and experience of officers investigating crimes”.

“Opportunities to secure a successful outcome for victims of crime are being missed as a result of failures to conduct an effective, prompt and professional investigation,” the HMIC report said.

Failures to do house-to-house inquiries, take photos of injuries in domestic abuse cases and collect CCTV evidence on assaults in public places were among some of the inconsistencies found in the way evidence was gathered, the report said.

Crimes are being investigated by officers who also provide neighbourhood policing services such as patrols, some of whom have not investigated crimes for a number of years, inspectors said.

The inspectorate also raised concerns about forces’ ability to keep up with modern criminal activity, including cyber-crime and child sexual exploitation.

Chief Inspector Tom Winsor said officers were “policing the crimes of today with the methods of yesterday and insufficiently prepared for the crimes of the future”.