Victims of crime face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting justice or whether police even attend the incident, according to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Offences such as criminal damage and car crime are on the verge of effectively being decriminalised due to a lack of police resources because there are not enough officers to respond or investigate.

In some cases victms are being asked to investigate themselves.

The report by Inspector Roger Baker, formerly the chief constable of Essex Police, looked into all 43 UK forces.

It looked at how police time is used as well as how crime is investigated and how offenders are, or are not, brought to justice.

However several forces, including Essex Police, were unable to provide details of which reported crimes they attended.

Mr Baker said: “We were concerned to find a member of the public will receive a different response from the police for the same type of crime or incident, depending on where they live; this sort of postcode lottery has to stop and a consistent approach applied across England and Wales.

“In this age of austerity it’s more important than ever that forces understand how to prioritise their resources.”