GWENT’s chief constable has said that pressure on police services to achieve targets can lead to crime being recorded inaccurately.

The admission from Jeff Farrar comes as a government minister said crime statistics must be accurate and truthful.

Earlier in the year the Argus reported that Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Ian Johnston said police may not be recording crimes properly in a bid to lower crime figures.

Mr Farrar, who is due to give evidence on the matter to the House of Commons Public Administration Committee on December 11, said: “Nobody joins the police service with the intention of recording crime inaccurately”.

But the statement, released through the Association of Chief Police Officers where he leads on crime figures, lists a number of ways that could happen.

“A variety of reasons including lack of awareness and knowledge, pressure of work, system errors, use of professional discretion in the public interest as well as the possible pressure to achieve local performance targets can all be reasons for this,” he said.

Mr Farrar said the Office of National Statistics had acknowledged that police crime recording in England and Wales was recognised by international standards to be “one of the best in the world”.

An internal review of crime recording has taken place within Gwent Police to determine whether the people of Gwent can have confidence in the crime figures they are given.

Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith yesterday asked in the House of Commons if MPs could have a debate on crime figures, following reported comments from the chief constable of Derbyshire Mick Creedon that he thought crime figures were being manipulated.

Leader of the house Andrew Lansley said the matter could be raised at Home Office questions on December 2.

He added: “From everything I know, I think we are very clear that crime statistics must be accurate and properly reflect crime in an area.

“As in so many areas, if we are to have confidence in the accountability of organisations, the statistics on which they are held to account — the Home Secretary has been very clear that she is focused on reducing crime — must be accurate and truthful.”

An internal; review of crime recording has taken place within the Gwent police force to determine whether the people of Gwent can trust the crime figures they are given.

The aim of the review stated: “to determine whether the people of Gwent, the PCC and Chief Constable can have confidence in Gwent Police’s crime figures.”