LONDON 

Inspectors found poor performance management of police forces in Britain leads to "poor service delivery," according to a report Friday. 

"Put simply, too often and in too many forces, the public is being failed, either at the first point of contact in the response to a call for help or in the service a victim of crime receives," said the report His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke.

The report follows an inspection of police forces by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

It noted that "vulnerability and repeat victims" were not identified in many cases while good-quality risk assessments that support the most appropriate response were not completed or recorded for others to see.

Cooke said there are "two fundamental issues" that policing needs to address to get improvements. "Firstly, chief constables and senior police leaders must improve the way they run their force," he said, adding governance and performance management often lack grip.

"Secondly, there must be greater investment in first-line supervisors," which he said are "critical" to improving performance.

Additionally, the report pointed out that the workforce is "increasingly under-resourced and under-skilled."

"Forces told us that they were regularly at minimum staffing levels. Many forces also had difficulties recruiting and retaining officers and staff," it added.