DYFED-Powys Police has been told it must improve at keeping people safe and reducing crime.

Police inspectors HMIC carries out an annual inspection of 43 forces in Wales and England.

It said Dyfed-Powys is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. However, in terms of investigations suitably trained investigators are not always available.

Inspectors also said the police’s call-handlers do not always understand the risks faced by emergency and non-emergency calls.

Dyfed-Powys does however have good arrangements in place to tackle serious and organised crime.

Inspectors also said they were concerned the force has not made enough progress in planning how it will be able to continue providing effective policing with fewer staff, nor how it will deal with some of the financial uncertainties it faces.

HMIC also said Dyfed-Powys hasn’t done enough to develop an ethical culture, to incorporate the code of ethics into policy or practice, or to ensure complaints and misconduct cases are free of bias.

Dyfed Powys police and crime commissioner Christopher Salmon said he was confident the force is effective at keeping people safe and reducing crime.

He said: "We have more officers investigating the most serious crimes and my Help Hub has increased support for victims.

"There is always more to do but I am confident that Dyfed-Powys is effective and keeping people safe and reducing crime."

He added: "Dyfed-Powys has the lowest crime rates in England and Wales.

"Crime and antisocial behaviour combined have fallen further and faster here than anywhere else in Wales since 2012.

"Dyfed-Powys Police investigate every crime. They take more cases to court than the average in England and Wales.

"Since my election in 2012 we have more officers spending more time on our communities’ streets."

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Liane James welcomed the report. She said: "We are very pleased that today’s report recognises our efforts to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and, praises our approach and abilities in tackling serious and organised crime. However, as with any organisation, we know that we cannot stand still and are always aware that there is room for improvement."

She said she was also proud Dyfed-Powys is one of only a small number of the 43 forces that continues to send an officer to every crime scene.

She said: "We are a victim centred organisation and I am pleased to see that the report recognises our strong ethic to protect the vulnerable. A victim of crime here is more likely to see the perpetrator brought to justice than any other part of the country and we will work to ensure that that remains the case.

"We are a small service relative to the area we police and in these financially challenging times, we are always thinking inovatively about how we allocate our resources to meet demand. We have specialist teams of officers, highly skilled in investigating certain types of crime and providing support to the victims of these crimes, but we do not have these in abundance. To do this would be at the cost of patrols on the ground and officers in other very important front line roles.

"We are committed to ensuring our officers and staff receive the most up-to-date training, from the point of the first call being received through to the aftercare of the victim. We work hard to provide the best support possible to those who have experienced crime and will take on board the HMICs observations in considering our workforce model for the future."