West Yorkshire and Humberside police received poor performance ratings

Humberside and Cleveland police had the most "poor" ratings, the data showed. Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire performances were also below average.

But, said Inspector of Constabulary Sir Keith Povey, no record was so bad that any chief constable needed sacking.

Humberside has already been criticised for its role in the Soham murder hunt.

It was given a poor rating in six areas, fair in nine, good in two and excellent in just one.

'Remarkable achievement'

But the Home Office report has been slammed as "out of date" by West Yorkshire chief constable Colin Cramphorn.

Defending his officers, Mr Cramphorn said police performance in the county was the most improved in the UK, "outperforming" other areas.

Deputy chief constable Phil Brear said officers had moved "further, or faster" than other police in their improvements.

He pointed to the force's successful crime reduction initiatives which has recently seen a 27% drop in robbery victims and 23% fewer victims of burglary.

"This is a remarkable achievement considering the fact that West Yorkshire has fewer officers per 1,000 head of population than the other metropolitan forces," he said.