The child protection register was "unreliable" in some areas

Information on children at risk is often locked away in investigations units at night, says Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

It says some uniformed officers are "unaware" of the register and the need to check names against it.

But the HIMC said overall much progress had been made dealing with child abuse.

'Unreliable register'

The report follows the Laming Report, into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie at the hands of her carers, and the Bichard Inquiry into how police handled information about Soham killer Ian Huntley.

Four of the 10 forces surveyed had not included child protection in their most recent policing plan, the report said.

Inspectors also found the child protection register was "unreliable" in some areas and was not being updated effectively or promptly.

It is crucial that child protection receives the necessary priority within forces Sir Ronnie Flanagan

And child abuse officers were spending large amounts of time investigating internet child porn with a lack of training and resources.

In one force, staff said they were spending about a third of their time on the subject even though a large number of cases "did not involve ongoing child protection concerns".

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Ronnie Flanagan said: "Overall our report found significant progress in dealing with child abuse cases and good working relationships between the police service and other agencies.

"Where we have identified criticisms they are about maximising the effectiveness of the arrangements already in place rather than wholesale change to existing procedures."

He added: "In particular, it is crucial that child protection receives the necessary priority within forces and that procedures are in place to identify quickly which cases require joint investigation with the police and social services."