Rape and sexual assault victims do not have confidence in the service they will receive from Hertfordshire Constabulary, according to the head of a victim support group. 

The claim has been made by Yvonne Traynor, chief executive of the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre after a report released by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, said "recent statistical information from the rape monitoring group has revealed the force has one of the lowest rates of recorded rape crimes in England and Wales".

However, the number of rape allegations that are not investigated further by officers - termed "no-crimes"- are among the highest in the same areas.

Ms Traynor said: ‘The disdainful attitude of the Hertfordshire Police, who do not recognise the importance of accurate crime recording of child abuse and rape cases, is unconscionable in 2014. 

"In most counties women and girls are feeling more confident in coming forward to report this heinous crime and yet Hertfordshire shows the lowest number of reports showing that the public do not have confidence in the service they will receive despite the Published Victims Code which outlines the support victims need and deserve.’

However, detective superintendent Mick Hanlon, from Hertfordshire Constabulary, said: "We believe we record rape and sexual offence crimes, and all of our crime figures with integrity as this is essential both for public confidence and ensuring that police and partner agency resources are deployed in the most effective way."

The latest figures commissioned by the Rape Monitoring Group show that between April, 1 2012 and March, 31, the number of adult rapes recorded per 100,000 adults in Hertfordshire was the third lowest in the country, behind Surrey and Durham. 

During this period, 110 rape offences were recorded in the county. 

However, the number of "no crimes" recorded in Hertfordshire was the third highest, behind only Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. 

During this period, the Rape Monitoring Group said that the "no crime" rate in Hertfordshrie was 21 per cent, compared to 12 per cent in England and Wales. 

Ms Traynor added: "Having found the courage to call the police to report this heinous crime and to have your case, ‘No Crimed’ or ‘No Further Action’ is absolutely devastating for survivors and means that there are more perpetrators free to strike again."

Detective superintendent Mick Hanlon: "’No crimes’ can occur when we have overwhelming evidence and are confident that an offence did not occur after we have conducted a thorough investigation.

"A ‘no crime’ can also occur when a third party (a friend, parent, school or person not involved in the incident) will make an allegation about a person having being subjected to a rape or assault but upon interviewing the person concerned they tell us that no crime has occurred."

"Whether a case is taken forward or not is decided by a legal expert outside of the unit who adheres to strict guidelines."

The HMIC report went on to say: "Our audit reveals that specialist investigation officers do not properly record all reports of rape as crimes, but instead record an investigation into these reports on a standalone system.

This has led to the late recording of crimes beyond the 72-hour period allowed within the NCRS (National Crime Recording Standard)."

Detective superintendent Mick Hanlon added: "We have already made changes to our recording practices to ensure they comply with the national rules - but it is very important to be clear that, despite not always recording sexual offences according to the strict national criteria at the time of the inspection, we always focussed on the needs of victims and made every effort to deal appropriately with offenders."