AN inspection on the effectiveness of the county’s police force says Gloucestershire Constabulary must address their management of serious and organised crime ’urgently’.

A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said the force required improvement ’in respect of its effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime’.

The latest report followed an inspection in 2016 as part of the police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) assessment programme, and found that Gloucestershire Police had made some improvements.

“Our overall judgment this year is the same as last year, when we judged the force to require improvement in respect of effectiveness,” the report from HMIC read.

“Although some improvements have been made against HMIC’s 2015 recommendations, progress in other areas has been slow, and insufficient to warrant an improved grade.

“The force needs to improve its approach to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, its investigative standards and the protection it provides to vulnerable people.

“Its management of serious and organised crime is inadequate and must be addressed urgently.”

A report in November rated the force’s efficiency as ’good’ while a December report rated its legitimacy as ’requiring improvement’; including audits of IT systems and performance assessments.