Two West Midlands police officers are under investigation after being recorded leaving a highly abusive message on a domestic violence victim’s answerphone.

Alex Faragher lodged a complaint in late January against the two men, who had come to her home to take a statement about her alleged assault.

The message, in which the teenager is called a “fucking slag” and a “fucking bitch,” was recorded unintentionally after the officers failed to hang up when their call went to voicemail.

Birmingham North Police commander Rachel Jones confirmed that the pair had been assigned restricted duties.

She added: “Due to the serious nature of the allegations the matter was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which has determined that the complaint will be investigated by West Midlands Police professional standards department.”

Ms Faragher said she was horrified when she heard the message and was left angered that those sworn to protect had attacked her instead.

“If I had spoken about them like that I would have been arrested by now and prosecuted,” she said.

The incident comes after data collected earlier this year by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary revealed that in the West Midlands alone 21 per cent of alleged rape cases were classified as “no crimes.”

Domestic violence charity Refuge chief executive Sandra Horley said: “We know that negative attitudes about women who experience domestic violence persist within the police.

“Far too many women are disbelieved, ignored and denied protection. The police need to get the basics right.”