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One in 10 calls to 101 in Staffordshire go unanswered

One in 10 non-emergency calls to Staffordshire Police go unanswered every day, according to a police watchdog report.

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One in 10 calls to 101 in Staffordshire go unanswered

The force has been ranked 'good' overall in a review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services – but was told to improve how it protects vulnerable people.

The report published today highlighted areas of concern, including that 10 per cent of the 101 calls are not answered on a daily basis.

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Meanwhile, inspectors found a backlog of 260 visits to registered sex offenders which should have been carried out.

Force bosses also need to improve oversight of wanted criminals as currently this is not shared with other forces so 'may expose the public to risk'.

Anti-social behaviour in the county also spiked by eight per cent to March 2017 – compared to a 0.05 per cent decrease nationally.

Overall rime rose across Staffordshire by 13 per cent in the year up to June last year, one per cent lower than the national average increase.

The force was rated as good overall and in inspection categories for 'preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour', 'investigating crime and reducing re-offending', and 'tackling serious and organised crime'.

Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker said: "This improvement from the last inspection is testament of the hard work by officers and staff over the last 12 months.

"There are of course still areas to improve and we will work hard to share what we have learnt internally and, where appropriate, with partners to deliver a more effective service across the county."