SURREY Police have been commended for the accuracy in which it records crime following the publication of an independent report - but concerns have been expressed over its “misclassification” of some rape and sexual offences.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded the force as ‘good’ in its crime data integrity report following an inspection earlier this year.

The report highlighted that 93 per cent of crimes were reported accurately and recognised Surrey as ‘outstanding’ in terms of culture and leadership with regard to crime reporting.

It also found Surrey Police to have implemented all recommendations set out in the last report from 2014 and recognised the hard work done to improve crime recording processes over the last four years.

Some concern was also expressed, however, in relation to the force’s recording of rape and sexual crimes, with HMICFRS highlighting several instances where the force had “mis-classified” crimes or failed to separate reports of multiple crimes.

In total, the force recorded 72,853 crimes in the financial year 2017/18.

Addressing the concerns, Surrey’s deputy chief constable, Gavin Stephens, said: “This is particularly worrying due to the nature of these crimes, however I want to reassure the public and victims of these offences that in all cases records existed, but there were instances where a misunderstanding of the complex recording rules resulted in a mis-classification of the crime or instances where reports of multiple crimes meant records should have been separated. We have not missed victims.”

David Munro, the police and crime commissioner for Surrey, added the report “is a testament to the commitment and hard work that has gone into improving crime recording over the last four years”, but stressed there was still “room for improvement”.

“There is clearly a way to go on how some rape and sexual offences are recorded,” said Mr Munro.

“I am reassured this is not a case of victims being missed but that recording processes need to be improved and I will ensure my office supports the force in any way we can to achieve that.”

The report also mentions that the force:

* Achieves good levels of recording accuracy for reported violence offences;

* Records nearly every crime where young people take and share indecent images of themselves;

* Records many crimes within 24 hours as permitted by the rules;

* Has improved the knowledge and understanding among its officers and staff of the crime-recording requirements for offences of stalking, harassment and malicious communications; and

* Has implemented all the recommendations set out in the 2014 report.

The full report can be read online at www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk