This year, for the first time, we have assessed leadership across the force. The assessment has led to a narrative rather than graded judgment, which is summarised below.
Read more about my assessment of Cumbria Constabulary’s performance this year, including exceptional events and where I would like to see improvements next year.
I am satisfied with most aspects of the performance of Cumbria Constabulary in keeping people safe and reducing crime. However, I have concerns about some parts of the service provided by the force.
The force is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour with neighbourhood teams working well with partner organisations to resolve local problems. However, I am concerned that training to respond professionally to vulnerable victims is not having the desired impact and the force’s understanding of serious and organised crime has limitations. I am also concerned that the management of offenders is inconsistent and the force needs to improve its investigation of crime.
The force has been able to demonstrate good financial management by achieving the savings required from the previous spending review period, while maintaining a high-quality response to calls for service from the public. The new workforce model, improved local partnership working and increased use of technology aims to ensure that the force can work more efficiently, and continue to provide effective policing to the people of Cumbria with fewer resources.
I am pleased to see that there is a positive culture within Cumbria Constabulary that encourages the workforce to behave professionally and ethically. I am also reassured by the way in which the force has acknowledged and responded to the issues we have raised.
Description of force area
Cumbria Constabulary provides policing services to the county of Cumbria. Although there are some very affluent areas, Cumbria generally has a high level of poverty. Around 0.5 million people live in a predominantly rural setting. It has small, distinct urban areas that include the city of Carlisle, and the towns of Barrow-in-Furness, Workington and Penrith. The resident population is increased by university students and by the very large numbers who visit or travel through the county each year. The transport infrastructure also includes major rail stations and sea ports.
The proportion of areas in Cumbria that are predicted to present a very high challenge to the police is higher than the national average. These are characterised by social deprivation or a concentration of commercial premises (including licensed premises), and in some cases both. Providing services across the entirety of the force area is hindered by its size and the road network.
Exceptional events
Serious and widespread flooding across the force area during December 2015 presented significant operational challenges for the force. There were three major floods within a one month period, and the force was instrumental in protecting life, property and livestock, and supporting communities across Cumbria.
Working arrangements
Force training is now provided through collaboration with Lancashire Constabulary. The force also collaborates with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, which has funded police officers to provide policing on the Sellafield nuclear fuel processing facility. Cumbria officers are seconded to the north west regional organised crime unit to support initiatives tackling serious crime across the north west region.
Effectiveness
In our effectiveness inspection, we judged Cumbria Constabulary to require improvement in the way in which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. Neighbourhood teams work well with partner organisations to resolve local problems. The force should improve its investigation of crime, and its management of offenders is inconsistent. In relation to the level of service to vulnerable people requiring the services of the force, the organisation needs to ensure that all officers and staff have fully understood the training which they have previously been given to ensure they respond sensitively and appropriately. The force has a good understanding of the threat posed by serious and organised crime but more work is needed to improve the knowledge and awareness amongst front line officers and staff to gather intelligence and disrupt organised crime groups as part of an orchestrated, longer-term plan to dismantle them.
This is the first year HMIC has graded forces on their overall effectiveness so comparison of their year-on-year effectiveness is not possible.
Efficiency
HMIC found that Cumbria Constabulary is well prepared to face its future financial challenges. Through robust financial management and accurate budgeting it is successfully making the savings required of it, and is well placed to continue to do so, while maintaining a high-quality response to calls for service from the public. It has plans in place to achieve further savings through to 2018/19. In last year’s value for money inspection, which considered how forces met the challenge of the previous spending review period, Cumbria was judged to be good.
Legitimacy
There was a positive and supportive culture within Cumbria Constabulary that encouraged its workforce to behave professionally and ethically. Cumbria Constabulary understands its communities, treats them with fairness and respect and engages with them effectively.
While the use of Taser is fair and appropriate, improvements are required regarding elements of the Best Use of Stop and Search scheme. This is the first time HMIC has graded forces on their legitimacy, so no year-on-year comparison is possible.
Leadership
Chief officers provide clear leadership and direction in the force. It has a good understanding of its capacity and capability at all levels, having conducted a leadership assessment in 2014. The assessment identified gaps in capability at middle management level and the force recognised that it needed to improve line management capability.
The force is developing leadership skills through co-ordinated leadership training programmes. It has set out clear expectations for the performance of its workforce that have been communicated in a variety of ways. However, Cumbria could do more to ensure that its communications are effective, as some of the workforce reported an over-reliance on use of emails and online messages.
Insights from other inspections
HMIC undertakes other inspections in addition to the PEEL programme. Since the last PEEL assessment there have been four reports published on inspections that included Cumbria Constabulary. More detail on some of these inspections can be found under the Other inspections section.
Looking ahead to PEEL 2016
In the year ahead, I will be interested to see how the force responds to this assessment and the areas for improvement that HMIC has identified in the last year.
I will be particularly interested to see:
- how the force develops its approach with partners to improve its management of offenders under its integrated offender management programme;
- how the force improves the quality of its investigations of less complex crime and enhances the quality of its case prosecution files;
- how the force improves the assessment of and response to vulnerable people;
- how the force improves the understanding and application of police powers of stop and search;
- compliance with the Best Use of Stop and Search scheme; and
- how the force responds to the recommendations identified during the firearms licensing inspection.
In May 2016, like the majority of forces in England and Wales, the force will see the second elections for its police and crime commissioner.
