POLICE in Essex take longer to investigate crimes and charge suspects than any other force in England, new figures reveal.

Ministry of Justice statistics show an average investigation fo r a crime in Essex takes 114 days until somebody is charged.

The figures, for April to June, reveal Essex Police take 46 mor e daysto complete an investigation than the average time taken in Cleveland in the North East, which has the shortest investigations period in the country.

In Manchester, the average time from offence to charge is 92 days , while in Merseyside it takes 98 days.

The only region with a longer investigation time than Essex is Dyfed Powys, in Wales, with 115 days .

Time spent on investigating crimes in Essex has shot up.

Probes took just 77 days in the first quarter of 2011.

The figures reveal that investigations across the country are taking nearly 10 per cent longer on average compared with four years ago.

However, there has been a 28 per cent drop in crime.

Mark Smith, chairman of Essex Police Federation, said longer investigations were a result of growing pressures on officers,anew police computing system and delays in waiting fo r forensic evidence to be returned from Kent.

He said: “We’ve got fewer resources on the street now, so the officers on the streets are also the officers investigating the crimes they’ve been given.

“So, if they are picking up more and more jobs each day, they may not be getting the time to investigate those that are waiting for them in their tray.

“And officers are being asked foralot more paperwork before a decision is made on somebody being charged. It is frustrating.’’

‘More complex cases’ are blamed

AN Essex Police spokesman said the increase in how long investigations took between 2014 and 2015 could be partly down to more complex cases being reported, such as domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation.

In 2014, officers spent an average of 103 days investigating a crime until a charge – 11 days less than now. The spokesman said: “We receive around 1,200 calls for help every day and respond to best meet the needs of victims, putting officers where they are needed most.

“The time between an offence being committed and a charge being made differs, according to the circumstances of each individual case. We believe the change in Essex over the past year is partly explained by an increase in reported incidents of domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation, where investigations tend to be complex and lengthy.

“It is also explained by a significant increase in traffic offences.”