A damning report by a Sunday newspaper has labelled the Metropolitan Police the second worst in the country.
The Observer report graded the country's police forces in terms of detection rates, complaints, sick leave and response times to incidents and 999 calls.
A spokesman for the Met said: "We always strive to improve our performance but when you look at the clear-up rates for the most serious offences, such as murder or sexual offences, we believe they compare favourably with other forces around the country."
Chief Constable Paul Acres of Hertfordshire was incensed by his force's rating as the fourth worst in the country.
In a letter to The Observer, he wrote: "I have difficulty in understanding how you can assess Hertfordshire which, for example, has the fourth lowest crime rate and the lowest level of violent crime in the country, as one of the worst five forces."
December 5, 2001 17:34
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