POLICE officers in Hampshire have been praised for their effectiveness.

New data have revealed that officers have improved their effectiveness in the past year, taking action on almost 5,000 more crimes.

This comes after Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) rated Hampshire Constabulary as good for its investigation capability and for protecting vulnerable people.

But new data released by the force have also revealed that in the past 12 months Hampshire officers have improved their effectiveness with 4,790 more formal outcomes achieved – up 25 per cent on the previous year.

Formal outcomes include action taken in the form of criminal charges, out-of-court disposals and convictions in court.

The data showed that the trend is up across teams in all parts of the force, including neighbourhood policing, response and patrol, investigation teams and joint operational units.

This comes after in 2016 Hampshire Constabulary was told it required improvement in investigating crime and protecting vulnerable people.

Now they have been celebrating the achievement.

Deputy Chief Constable Sara Glen said: “We welcome today’s news as a positive endorsement that we are on track. Policing has never been more difficult but one clear measure of effectiveness is the number of positive outcomes we achieve, and we’ve delivered 5,000 more than last year. Despite fewer officers, more justice is being delivered for victims of crime."

According to the report, officers took action on 4,578 crimes in Southampton between March 2017 and March 2018 - 879 more than the previous year.

The rate of formal outcomes achieved by officers and staff was + 25 per cent and outstripped the reported increase in reports of crime which was + 8.8 per cent.

DCC Glen added: "We have made further significant improvements since the inspection happened in the middle of 2017 and in doing so already addressed areas of concern in the report. Everyone knows our difficult funding position, and we have worked hard to achieve these results. They come from a combination of clear focus, having some of the best police officers and staff in the country, and good operational leadership. I would like to thank everyone who has played their part, and the public for their amazing support at a time when the pressure on our frontline has never been greater.”