Surrey Police has been praised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate Constabulary for its ‘strong’ quality and management of crime data.

Inspectors visited Surrey Police last year as part of a national audit in which it was found to be making the correct crime recording decisions in 97 per cent of situations.

Temporary deputy chief constable, Jerry Kirkby said: “The Force has to manage a huge amount of information and getting the process right is crucial. The quality of data has an impact on how crimes are investigated, where resources are channelled and victim satisfaction. To know that we have good processes in place and that staff are managing information well and making the right decisions is a real positive.”

Inspectors also highlighted the recent merger of three crime management units into one centrally based Event Assessment Unit as an improvement allowing all decisions on recording crime and investigative strategies to be managed within one department.