Family 'express frustration at seemingly have to solve own crime'
Suspects are now going through the criminal justice system, which the victim's family feel is the result of the pressure they brought on the force
A man - who says he had to practically investigate an attack on his son by himself - has called on Devon and Cornwall Police to show lessons are being learnt.
It comes just weeks after inspectors found 'standards of investigations have deteriorated', as they rated the force as 'inadequate' and 'requiring improvement' in some areas.
The family, who have asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal attacks, have expressed their frustration at having to repeatedly contact police to ask what was happening.
In a complaint letter to the Acting Chief Constable, the family highlighted how seven weeks after the incident - which left the victim needing hospital treatment - no one from the force had spoken with their son.
"We don't feel that's acceptable," said the dad.
The complaint highlights how the family felt 'passed from pillar to post' as they repeatedly tried to contact the force.
The family even tried to source their own investigative material - worrying any crucial CCTV footage from shops might soon have been erased and recorded over.
The dad added: "We asked about CCTV evidence, I've even tried to obtain copies of it myself. Time was ticking by and evidence from things like business cameras may have been lost. All the while all the evidence was growing colder and colder and it certainly felt it wasn't getting the priority it needed."
Eventually suspects were apprehended - which the family believes was the result of their actions and the pressure they brought on the force - and are now going through the criminal justice system.
A spokesperson for the force told us that 'due to the ongoing criminal justice process and an active complaint, it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to comment at this time'.
The dad told us he hopes by raising concerns he will get a 'detailed answer to all the points made in my complaint' and 'assurances to make sure a similar situation doesn't happen again'.
There's more about the latest inspection of the force here, which found 'the standards of the force's investigations have deteriorated' and the force still isn’t attending incidents - resulting from calls - as fast as it should.
Inspectors did say there has been improvements to its 999 call responses and work to deter antisocial behaviour. The force say 1,200 new officers are being recruited over three years.