PROTECTING children remains the number one priority for North Yorkshire Police, Julia Mulligan has said.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire was speaking after publication of a report which showed failings by North Yorkshire Police in handling allegations about Jimmy Savile and Peter Jaconelli were being dealt with.

In the new report, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) noted the force had gone a long way to addressing concerns about historic records, and staff were "working through half a million hard copy records, disposing of paper records where appropriate, and a further two staff, under the supervision of the force records manager, were reviewing electronic records".

Julia Mulligan said yesterday she would "be keeping a very close eye on this area".

She said: "Protecting vulnerable people is the number one priority in the Police and Crime Plan, and protecting children from exploitation and abuse is central to achieving that objective. I will be looking closely at the HMIC report and, working with the Chief Constable, will make sure best practice is implemented in North Yorkshire.

"The Chief Constable and I agreed to undertake a Child Sexual Exploitation health check towards the end of last year, and I was reassured North Yorkshire have a good approach to tackling this issue. There is always more than can be done, and the police will continue to work with partners to improve how we protect vulnerable children."