South Wales PEEL 2016

South Wales Police’s effectiveness in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe is good. The force has a dedicated local policing model and engages well with its communities to understand the problems which are of the most concern to the people it serves. Neighbourhood staff are allowed to carry out their neighbourhood policing role and are not routinely taken away to cover other duties. Neighbourhood teams engage well with their communities using a range of methods. They have a good local knowledge of their community and are aware of community concerns and intelligence about criminal activity.

The force uses the SARA (scan, analyse, respond, assess) model as its formal approach to problem-solving, but the ways in which the staff use the model can be inconsistent. The force uses a wide range of tactics and interventions to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour, but because it does not evaluate its problem-solving activities, it cannot say how effective they are. It does not routinely make use of best practice. However, it hopes to resolve this with the introduction of its new crime prevention strategy.

South Wales Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. It is able to identify repeat and vulnerable victims when they first contact the force. Staff are trained to use the force’s risk-assessment process accurately. The grading of calls has improved and is now based upon the level of threat and risk of harm.

The force is good at allocating investigations to the right teams and good at investigating crime. The force has effective arrangements in place to pursue outstanding offenders and reduce re-offending. However, it has inconsistencies in the way it selects offenders for its integrated management programme. Officers are trained to investigate digital and cyber-crimes. The recovery of digital evidence across the force could improve.

South Wales Police is good at keeping the victim at the centre of its investigations. It has high levels of victim satisfaction. Supervision of initial investigations is good, but supervision of handovers and investigations could be better. The force is in the process of improving how it manages high-risk violent offenders and registered sex offenders. It is good at bringing offenders to justice and has a considerably higher charge rate than many other forces in England and Wales.

South Wales Police has a good understanding of the nature and scale of vulnerability in its local area. Vulnerability is its “priority of priorities”. The force has a child sexual exploitation problem profile that includes partnership data and provides a clear picture of the nature and scale of child sexual exploitation across the area. Its domestic abuse action plan clearly sets out how the force and partner organisations are tackling domestic abuse.

Officers and staff have a good understanding of how to identify and protect vulnerable people. The force’s training programme for staff addresses all areas of vulnerability. The force has made significant improvements in the way it deals with missing people. It has made clear efforts to understand the nature and scale of vulnerability of people who have problems with mental health.

The force is good at identifying vulnerable and repeat victims. It assesses the level of risk at the initial point of contact and when officers first attend incidents. When officers attend incidents, they clearly consider safeguarding the victim and family members, including the use of disclosure and protection orders. The force is good at investigating crime involving vulnerable victims and working with partner organisations to keep people safe.

South Wales Police is good at tackling serious and organised crime. The force effectively assesses the threat and risk from serious and organised crime, and local policing teams are aware of the organised crime groups (OCGs) living in their area. OCGs are mapped and scored appropriately and consistently, using the national assessment tool, with all mapping up to date. All OCGs are assigned to a capable lead responsible officer, and structured and up to date management plans are in place for all mapped OCGs.

The force works effectively with partner organisations to support serious and organised crime investigations and provide resources for interventions towards vulnerable offenders. However, partnership data is not included in the serious and organised crime local profiles. Local officers are aware of the OCGs in their areas and are fully engaged in their disruption. The force uses the national disruption scale to assess the degree of OCG disruption and the impact of force activity on serious and organised crime. The force has several projects to raise awareness and deter young people from serious and organised crime. It has processes in place to update communities and assess the impact of police operations to tackle serious and organised crime.

South Wales Police has the necessary arrangements in place to fulfil its national policing responsibilities. The force has assessed each of the threats set out in the Strategic Policing Requirement and has been involved in a series of comprehensive exercises with partner organisations to test each of the threats.

The force is well prepared to respond to an attack requiring an armed response. It can provide a comprehensive response to the current firearms and terrorist threats facing the South Wales region.

The force has processes in place to assess the level of threat and risk to the force and the region accurately. It conducts regular reviews to update the threat and risk and adjusts the force/region’s response to address any changes. The force is involved in a continuing programme of operations and table-top exercises with partner agencies to test all aspects of identified threat and risk.

The force has appropriate and sufficient command structures in place with sufficient and appropriately trained authorised firearms officers to meet the identified threat and risk. It has plans in place for increasing its firearms capability as part of the national armed uplift programme and is making good progress towards this.