WEST Yorkshire Police have been rated 'good' at keeping people safe and reducing crime by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) - but must improve how it investigates offences.

An assessment by the independent body found that the force is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, and also at tackling serious and organised crime.

But the assessor said improvements were needed in how offenders are managed and how crimes are investigated.

HMIC graded the effectiveness of each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, with West Yorkshire one of 24 rated 'good'. One force was judged to be 'outstanding', while 18 'require improvement'.

Mike Cunningham, of HMIC, said: “West Yorkshire Police is good at keeping people safe and reducing crime. The force places a strong focus on these priorities, and officers and staff at all levels of the organisation have a good understanding of what this means for the way they work.

"The force also works well with other organisations to support crime prevention and reduce anti-social behaviour."

He added: "There are areas for improvement, however. We found that the force crime allocation process, which determines how a crime is to be investigated, is inconsistent. Generally, however investigations were of a good standard and well supervised.

"West Yorkshire Police is developing its understanding of the threat posed by serious and organised crime. It is also developing its intelligence in areas that are traditionally difficult to access, such as modern day slavery."

Assistant Chief Constable Russ Foster, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "At both ends of the scale, from low level crime and anti-social behaviour to serious and organised crime, the good rating from HMIC reflects the hard work and determination of officers to tackle criminality and protect communities.

"This is an extremely challenging county to police and we are continuously improving our effectiveness, refining processes and making good use of new technology.

"There are a number of areas for improvement identified by HMIC, which we are already addressing or in the processing of reviewing, to ensure we provide the best possible service to victims, particularly the most vulnerable."

West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, said: "At a time when our resources have been severely squeezed and challenges faced daily, it is encouraging that West Yorkshire Police have received such an encouraging endorsement and I congratulate them and our partners in achieving this outcome.

"Regarding the areas of improvement highlighted in the HMIC report, including investigating crime, I will be supporting West Yorkshire Police in addressing these areas of improvement to ensure we are doing all we can to support the most vulnerable in our communities with various safeguarding strategies and resources which will be a continued focus for us."