An inspection by the official police watchdog concluded the Merseyside force has maintained its overall rating of "good" - and "outstanding" for tackling serious and organised crime.

In the four categories of "effectiveness" graded by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Merseyside was rated:

Outstanding at tackling serious and organised crime.

Good at tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe.

Good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending.

Good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims.

The report says: "Merseyside Police is good at keeping people safe and reducing crime.

"The force has an effective approach to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, investigating crime and reducing re-offending, protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims.

"It is outstanding at tackling serious and organised crime.

“Our overall judgment this year is the same as last year when we judged the force to be good in respect of effectiveness.”

Deputy Chief Constable Carl Foulkes said: "The findings are testimony to the hard work carried out by officers and staff in our communities every day.

"Merseyside Police is committed to putting our communities first – listening to their problems and acting on concerns."

He added: “Serious and organised crime is a priority for the force and we have recently seen an increase in firearms discharges on our streets and are investing significant resources into tackling the issue - one firearm used on our streets is one too many.

“The use of guns brings fear and intimidation to our communities.

"I would like to reassure our communities that Merseyside Police, as the findings of this inspection demonstrate, is never complacent in our approach to serious and organised crime and if you give us information we will act on it."

Overall, one force - Durham Constabulary - was judged to be "outstanding", 28 forces were "good", 13 "require improvement" and one - Bedfordshire - was rated "inadequate."

HMIC said it was warning for the first time of a national crisis in the shortage of detectives and investigators in many forces.

This is leading to excessive workloads and complex investigations are being led by those who lack appropriate experience.

In some parts of the country victims are being let down, criminal cases shelved and suspects left untracked as police fail to carry out basic functions, the report revealed.