Police in Suffolk are working to improve detection rates and prevent crimes after a report revealed forces across the country were failing to deliver justice for burglary victims.

Tim Passmore, police and crime commissioner for Suffolk, said concerns had been raised about detection rates for these offences at a meeting attended by the county’s chief constable Steve Jupp.

However, he said he was "reassured that everything possible was being done," and a major recruitment campaign had begun to increase the number of qualified detectives.

A report based on force inspections by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) highlighted a number of concerns, including that some constabularies had missed opportunities to identify and catch offenders.

A lack of investigative capacity was also raised, exacerbated by a shortage of detectives nationally, while a third of investigations were not being supervised properly and victims were not being given advice about crime scene preservation.

Forces’ forensic and technological capabilities were not sufficient to enable them to conduct thorough investigations, the report said.

Recent Home Office figures have revealed that in the year to March, just 6.6% of robberies and 4.1% of thefts in England and Wales had resulted in charges.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: "Burglary, robbery and theft are not minor crimes. They are crimes that strike at the heart of how safe people feel in their own homes or communities.

"The current low charge rates for these crimes are unacceptable and unsustainable – there needs to be a concerted drive to address this issue because it directly affects the public’s confidence in the police’s ability to keep them safe."

However, the report praised Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies for working in partnership to share data to help reduce crime and exploitation.

Mr Passmore said: “Improving detection rates and preventing crimes such as theft and burglary are without question an absolute priority for Suffolk Police.

“This matter was raised with the chief constable at our most recent public accountability panel meeting in July and I was reassured everything possible is being done to improve performance in these areas.

“There is a major recruitment programme for expanding the number of qualified detectives.

“The overall significant increase in police numbers will also start making a difference to the force’s performance.

“The other recent new initiatives such as the Kestrel Teams and the Servator Programme are a powerful deterrent to criminal activity.

“Part of my responsibility as Police and Crime Commissioner is looking after victims’ needs and I absolutely understand the trauma, anxiety and annoyance victims feel when such crimes are committed which is why additional resources have been allocated to tackle these crimes.”