DEVON and Cornwall has been rated as one of the best performing police forces in the country.

The force was praised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in its annual PEEL report.

The report was published yesterday and gave Devon and Cornwall a “Good” rating of performance.

It looks at policing effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy and said Devon and Cornwall Police keeps people safe, reduces crime, understands the needs of communities and works well with partner agencies.

Further credit was given for tackling anti-social behaviour and devising innovative ways of working during peak demand.

Assistant chief constable Russ Middleton welcomed the report and thanked employees of the force. He said: “At a time of austerity and reduced policing resources, having an independent report giving such a positive view of Devon and Cornwall Police is ahuge credit to all our officers and staff.

“Policing by consent is a cornerstone of our work in Devon and Cornwall and having our communities engaged and involved with this is critical.”

Ensuring services are in place to protect children subject to sexual abuse, and improving services to victims of crime, are marked as areas to monitor by the report, but it acknowledges progress is being made in these areas.

Mr Middleton added: “We have invested heavily in fighting cyber crime and those ‘hidden’ areas of policing the public may not see or appreciate. Working with partners to better deal with missing children and protect vulnerable parts of communities are areas we are already seeing dramatic change."