Durham PEEL 2015

HMIC found that Durham Constabulary’s chief constable and chief officer team actively promotes its vision and values to develop and maintain an ethical culture. Significant efforts are being made to ensure the workforce feels valued and engaged in decisions which affect them. A culture exists where misconduct and unprofessional behaviour is challenged and reported, and where those who do so are supported.

The constabulary seeks to understand the views of staff about their wellbeing, and provides various services to meet their needs.

The constabulary has continued to invest in promoting the Code of Ethics. Training is being provided to staff, and the code is being used to influence day-to-day decision-making.

Steps are being taken to ensure complaints and cases of misconduct for both officers and staff are investigated fairly and consistently.

This question has not been inspected or graded in 2015.

Durham Constabulary fully understands the relationship between engagement and legitimacy at strategic and local levels. Engagement is at the heart of the constabulary approach to policing and staff understand its importance and the link to legitimacy.

We found staff feel empowered and supported, and they are prepared to be innovative in their approach to engaging and working closely with local people. They try new methods to reach more people in the community, to successfully explain their approach to policing, and to seek information from the public in order to reduce crime and protect people. There is a comprehensive understanding of the issues and concerns affecting people.

The constabulary uses a range of both conventional engagement, in the form of surveys and meetings, as well as digital engagement through Facebook and Twitter, which is innovative and effective. The chief constable provides personal leadership in all aspects of public engagement, and is considered to be a role model for others in the organisation.

All staff spoken to know they are expected to treat people with fairness and respect.

HMIC was concerned to see that a large proportion of the stop and search records we reviewed did not contain sufficient reasonable grounds for carrying out the search. The majority of these forms had been endorsed by a supervisor, suggesting that both the officers carrying out the search, and those supervising them, do not understand what constitutes a legal use of the power.

However, the constabulary is complying with almost all the requirements of the Best Use of Stop and Search scheme. It still has more to do in recording and publishing outcomes, and explaining to communities how the powers are being used following a “community complaint”.

We are satisfied that Taser is used fairly and appropriately.

As Durham Constabulary was not compliant in one or two aspects of the Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme in 2015, HMIC revisited the force in 2016 to assess improvements made since the initial inspection.

Best Use of Stop and Search letter – Durham Constabulary