YORKSHIRE’S police forces are “excellent” at recording crime data according to national Police Data Quality results.

And West Yorkshire was one of the best in the country, according to the report from the Audit Commission.

Crime recording was rated as “excellent” – an improvement on the “good” rating of last year.

And “corporate arrangements” – referring to the police’s internal management and administration systems – retained their “good” level.

An Audit Commission spokesman said: “Over the past four years, the force has made year-on-year improvements and has now achieved the highest rating for its crime data as well as maintaining good corporate arrangements that are so important in ensuring standards remain high.”

West Yorkshire Police Authority was praised for its effective governance and leadership. In the past year, improvements had resulted from a top level commitment by chief officers to the importance of data quality as well as integrating this with a focus on quality of service.

A dedicated data quality manager from the force’s corporate review team prepares reports for the authority’s Strategic Planning and Performance Committee on the accuracy and reliability of the performance results. The data is used in setting priorities, making decisions and allocating resources.

The authority was commended for its robust disaster recovery plans that cover the implications of loss in its information systems for crime offices and call handling.

It was also praised for training and reporting procedures.

Results in other Yorkshire police forces were (last year’s results in brackets):

Humberside – crime recording excellent (excellent); corporate arrangements good (good); North Yorkshire – crime recording excellent (excellent); corporate arrangements fair (good); South Yorkshire – crime recording excellent (excellent); corporate arrangements good (fair).