A REPORT on how well Hampshire police tackles anti-social behaviour has found the force should do more to identify repeat victims.

The assessment by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found that the force was making progress and was broadly in line with victim satisfaction levels across the country.

However, it found that call takers were not always able to identify repeat victims of anti-social behaviour and did not always ask enough questions in establishing the vulnerability of the caller.

The report entitled ‘A Step in the Right Direction’ comes two years after an initial assessment into how well the force dealt with anti-social behaviour.

It found that since 2010 Hampshire has increased training for safer neighbourhood teams and invested in mobile data technology, providing all neighbourhood officers with hand-held devices to increase the amount of time they are out in the community rather than filling in forms in the station.

Chief Inspector Jeremy Patterson, partnerships and neighbourhoods lead for Hampshire Constabulary, said: "Since the time of the inspection, the constabulary has already made a significant commitment to improve our response to callers reporting anti-social behaviour including improvements to identify repeat and vulnerable victims.

"Hampshire Constabulary will continue to take reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and remains committed to working hard with the public and partner agencies to reduce the impact it has on the quality of life of all residents."

HM Inspector of Constabulary for the Eastern Region, Zoe Billingham, said: “Anti-social behaviour is a blight that can wreck lives and communities. Our review shows that Hampshire Constabulary has made progress in how it tackles the problem, and victim satisfaction is in line with the average for England and Wales. The force should be commended for this – especially as it comes against the backdrop of significant budget cuts across the Service.”