A councillor has warned that "yobs will take over our streets" unless policing improves.

Helston town councillor Tim Grattan-Kane made the comments during a presentation from Safer Cornwall, a partnership of services and organisations, including the police and Cornwall Council, work to make communities safer.

The former senior police officer in Cornwall and central London said: "This town has been deprived of police officers for far too long. Where the telephone communication system for us to report crime and the information technology system for us to report crime is frankly pathetic.

"Members of the public will take the law into their own hands or the meek will not inherit the earth and the yobs will take over our streets.

"It has historically been one of the safest places in Cornwall, but there seems to be a vast swathe of unreported anti-social behaviour and crimes because the system does not protect Mr and Mrs Joe Public.

"It isn't working and something needs to be done."

He said he had been stopped by several people in the street who had complained to him about being unable to report crimes, or lack of action when they were.

"What is increasingly apparent down here is there is a failure to record and investigate crime.

"There was an individual who had committed at least eight offences in burglary, criminal damage and threatening to stab a member of staff in a store. It went to the chief superintendent of Devon and Cornwall and no further action or investigation has been taken.

"The individual has been locked up for breaching an order, but no investigation of these offences took place," he said.

Erika Sorenson, from Safer Cornwall, said the standard of police recording was under "considerable scrutiny" and had been for around the last six years.

"The big issue nationally and therefore locally is to improve the quality of crime recording," she said.

"Devon and Cornwall in 2016 were found wanting; they highlighted a number of areas where they were required to take action and improve quality of reported crimes and improve the rate of evidence.

"They were re-rated and they had moved considerably up in the quality of recording. Something like 96 per cent of inspection samples they looked at they found to be satisfactory.

"Certainly in recording there has been a significant improvement over the last few years, which is why we're seeing more crimes recorded in the system. We're getting a much clearer picture of what is happening.

"We're aware of issues around police not being accessible - not as many PCSOs. We're working really hard to build these relationships and bridge the gaps."

This included visiting community network panels and the team was in the process of putting together various leaflets to distribute to the public, explaining all the different ways to get hold of not only the police but other teams that could provide support such as Victim Support, Cornwall Council's environmental protection team and Streetlink.