I am very pleased with the overall performance of South Wales Police.
South Wales Police is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. Neighbourhood officers engage well with local people and have a thorough knowledge of their issues and concerns.
I am very pleased with the improvements that South Wales Police has made in the way it protects vulnerable people from harm and how it supports victims. The force now has a good understanding of the nature and scale of vulnerability among people in South Wales. It has trained staff to identify repeat and vulnerable victims when they first contact the force, and this means that the most vulnerable people are receiving an appropriate response.
South Wales Police is good at investigating crime and keeps the victim at the centre of its investigations. The force also has effective arrangements to pursue outstanding offenders and reduce reoffending.
I am reassured that South Wales Police is good at tackling serious and organised crime. The force maintains detailed assessments of organised crime groups, which would be further improved by including data from partner organisations. Local officers are aware of those involved in organised criminality in their area and are fully engaged in the force’s disruption activities. The force has several initiatives to deter young people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime.
I am particularly impressed by the understanding that South Wales Police has of the current demands for its services, including so-called hidden demands such as internet crime. The force uses this understanding to inform the deployment of its resources, including those to prevent anticipated demands. It is also developing a clear picture of likely future demands. The force has also worked with partner organisations to improve the routing of requests for services to the most appropriate organisation.
The force has good systems for understanding the capabilities of its workforce, which enables it to match operational skills to current demands. It understands the knowledge and skills that will be required in the future and has plans for developing these.
I recognise that the force has investment plans for achieving greater efficiency in providing its services. The force will be aware that it is facing a potentially sizeable shortfall in its budget next year and I am confident that it will put in place effective contingency arrangements.
The force seeks feedback from the people of South Wales, including those who have less trust in the police, and it uses this feedback to improve its practice.
I am satisfied that South Wales Police’s vision and values are clear and well understood by the workforce. The force is good at maintaining ethical and lawful behaviour in its workforce, and its vetting complies with national guidance.
The force supports the physical and mental well-being of staff and officers through its occupational health team. However, officers and staff expressed mixed views about how far the workforce is included in decision-making, and the force does not currently have a consistent mechanism (such as a staff survey) for understanding the issues that the workforce sees as having the greatest impact on how they are treated.
In summary, the force provides a good level of service to the people of South Wales. I commend the force for maintaining its performance since my previous assessment.
Os hoffech chi ddarllen hwn trwy’r Gymraeg (PDF document)
Context
South Wales Police provides policing services to the areas of West, South and Mid-Glamorgan. South Wales has a high level of poverty, although there are some more affluent areas. The force area is home to around 1.3 million people, who mainly live in the cities of Cardiff and Swansea as well as smaller towns.
The resident population is increased by university students and the large numbers who visit, socialise in, commute into, or travel through the area each year. The transport infrastructure includes 115 miles of motorway and trunk roads, major rail stations, air and sea ports.
The proportion of areas in South Wales that are predicted (on the basis of detailed economic and demographic analysis) to present a very high challenge to the police is lower than the national average. The most challenging areas are generally characterised by a high concentration of people living, working, socialising, or travelling in the area.
Features which both cause and/or indicate a concentration of people include the number of commercial premises including licensed premises and fast-food premises, public transport, and social deprivation. In some areas, these features are combined. The police force area is not large, relative to other forces in England and Wales, however, it takes a comparatively long time to travel across the area by road, which increases the difficulty of providing police services.
Working arrangements
South Wales Police collaborates with Gwent Police, including a shared mobile data platform and scientific investigation unit, shared strategic command cover and legal services, as well as collaboratively procured technology systems.
The force works as part of the all-Wales counter terrorism unit and has a joint firearms team with Gwent Police and Dyfed-Powys Police.
The Welsh Policing Estates collaboration is drawing up options for a joint estates service for policing in Wales, to reduce costs, enhance resilience and make service improvements.
In the year ahead, I will be interested to see how South Wales Police responds to this assessment and to the areas for improvement that HMIC identified last year.
I will be particularly interested to see:
- how the force will address the anticipated shortfall in its budget; and
- how the force will improve its understanding of the issues that are of greatest concern to its workforce.
Darllenwch y Trawsgrifiad fideo yn Gymraeg (PDF document)
