A NEW report has stated that Devon and Cornwall police is one of eight forces in the country that "requires improvement". 

In the 2016 Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) report, the force received the "requires improvement" rating for efficiency with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. 

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Mike Cunningham, who led the inspection, said:

“I am pleased to find that the majority of forces understand the demand they are facing and have effective plans in place to meet that demand. There needs to be more focus on the future, on understanding new and different types of demand and on the skills that police forces will need to best deal with the new challenges, especially in growing areas such as cyber-crime.

“Every year, we highlight how important it is for forces to embrace the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technology. It is now imperative that forces agree consistent standards on how they can share systems and data if they are to catch up with current technology and look to develop and evolve in the future.

“Forces have met the financial challenges of the last five years and most forces demonstrate a better understanding of the demand they are facing than we found last year. But the very best forces demonstrate an approach to reform and innovation that needs to be more evident in more forces.

“There is still scope for forces to transform the way in which they operate and it is vital that the pace and urgency of change continues if we are to have a police force fit to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

The inspections were carried out between March and June this year. 

Out of the 43 forces, eight required improvement, two were marked as "outstanding" and the rest received a "good" grading.