Inspectorate praises Cumbria Constabulary’s “outstanding” crime recording arrangements
Cumbria Constabulary is one of only two police forces ever to be judged as outstanding for its crime recording arrangements at first inspection, as set out in a report released today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
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Cumbria Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity inspection 2019
HMICFRS found that Cumbria Constabulary had put in place comprehensive crime recording practices, which ensured that over 93 per cent of all crimes reported to it were recorded. The inspection highlighted the force’s commitment to record crime in an accurate and timely manner, with officers and staff displaying an increased level of knowledge and understanding in this area.
Specific improvements include:
- establishing a crime management support unit to quality assure, audit, classify and cancel recorded crime;
- improved training programmes for officers and staff involved in crime recording decisions; and;
- delivering enhanced training and supervision procedures; and
- enhanced governance arrangements and supervisory oversight of crime recording practices.
The inspection also found that the force’s senior leadership effectively communicates the need for ethical crime recording. At all levels, officers are aware of the link between crime recording and effective support to victims.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Phil Gormley said:
“I am very pleased with the results of our inspection into Cumbria Constabulary, which found that the force has an outstanding approach to crime recording.
“We last carried out an inspection into the force’s crime recording capabilities in 2014. As a result of that inspection, we gave the force several recommendations for improvement.
“This latest inspection, carried out last year, showed that the force has successfully implemented the recommendations contained in our 2014 report. In addition, it has also applied the recommendations of a 2014 national action plan on crime recording. These achievements, along with the force’s own measures, have resulted in an increased recording rate for all types of reported crime.
“We were especially pleased to see that the force is achieving an exceptional crime-recording standard for sexual offences and was found to have recorded every report we audited during our inspection. This is particularly encouraging and should give confidence to victims of these crimes to report them.
“There is a positive force-wide culture with regards to crime recording, which has been achieved through effective senior leadership and a relentless focus on getting things right. I am confident that, whilst there is still more progress to be made, the force will continue to demonstrate further improvement.”
HMICFRS will continue to inspect crime recording practices in Cumbria Constabulary at regular intervals.
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Cumbria Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity inspection 2019
Notes to editors
- HMICFRS is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing and fire and rescue services in the public interest. It assesses and reports on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces and fire and rescue services.
- HMICFRS inspects all 43 police forces in England and Wales together with other major policing and law enforcement bodies. It also inspects all 45 fire and rescue services in England.
- HMICFRS is unable to make direct comparisons with the 2014 inspection due to a change in the methodology used. In particular, the 2014 inspection was a dip-sample of records in each force which contributed to a statistically robust rate for crime-recording accuracy for England and Wales, whereas this inspection is working to a statistically robust standard within each force.
- Further information on how Cumbria Constabulary is performing can be found on the HMICFRS online assessment tool.
- For further information, HMICFRS’s press office can be contacted during office hours from 09:00am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday on 020 3513 0600.
- HMICFRS’s out-of-hours press office line for urgent media enquiries is 07836 217729.