A study of victims of Anti-social behaviour found West Yorkshire Police has made progress in tackling the problem but needs a plan to monitor and manage incidents.

In a report published today, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said the force had a “relatively high” level of anti-social behaviour in comparison with the rest of England and Wales but the force had made improvements to combat offending since it last carried out a review in 2010.

The survey of 400 anti-social behaviour victims in West Yorkshire found 53 per cent were satisfied with the overall way police dealt with trouble in their area and 65 per cent were satisfied with how police handed their complaint – in line with the national average.

However, 57 per cent said they had contacted the force on three or more occasions to report anti-social behaviour, which the watchdog said was “significantly above” the national average.

The report added: “The force does not have a plan for how it will tackle anti-social behaviour or a framework that would allow it to monitor how it responds to or manages incidents.”

Roger Baker, HM Inspector of Constabulary for the northern region, said the force should be commended for for its progress in the face of “significant budget cuts across the service”.

He added: “Anti-social behaviour is a blight that can wreck lives and communities. Our review shows that West Yorkshire Police has made some progress in how it tackles the problem, and that victim satisfaction is generally in line with national figures for England and Wales.

“However, there is no room for complacency. In particular, West Yorkshire Police should ensure it consistently identifies vulnerable victims and that there is a plan in place to manage and monitor cases. This progress is therefore only the first step in delivering a much better service to victims.”