Lancashire Constabulary’s crime-recording performance is ‘inadequate’
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has today published an assessment on the accuracy of crime recording in Lancashire Constabulary, which found that the constabulary records around 84 percent of crimes reported to it.
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Lancashire Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity inspection 2017
HMICFRS previously inspected the accuracy of crime recording in Lancashire Constabulary in 2014.
To assess the extent that recorded crime information in Lancashire Constabulary can be trusted, HMICFRS asked:
- How effective is the constabulary at recording reported crime?
- How efficiently do the systems and processes in the constabulary support accurate crime recording?
- How well does the constabulary demonstrate the leadership and culture necessary to meet the national standards for crime recording?
Based on these criteria, overall HMICFRS has judged Lancashire Constabulary as ‘inadequate’.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Michael Cunningham said:
“Our inspection found that Lancashire Constabulary must make many improvements to how it records reported crime. We found a number of the crime-recording practices to be unacceptable, in particular how it under-records some serious offences.
“We found that Lancashire Constabulary fails to record over 20,000 reported crimes each year. Some of these failings are a consequence of the constabulary not sustaining changes made following the completion of the recommendations for improvement made in our 2014 report. This is undermining the effectiveness and efficiency of its crime-recording arrangements.
“I’m disappointed to find that the constabulary is currently under-recording crimes where the victim is sometimes vulnerable including some victims of domestic abuse. Immediately, the constabulary must identify and address gaps in its systems and processes for identifying and recording all reports of crime.
“We have made a number of recommendations – some of which are to be acted upon immediately – to help the constabulary achieve greater accuracy in recording crimes to keep people safe. I will continue to monitor how the constabulary progresses against these recommendations.”
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Lancashire Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity inspection 2017
Notes to editors
- HMICFRS is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing to promote improvements in policing that make everyone safer, and assesses and reports on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice and raise confidence.
- On 19 July 2017 HMIC took on responsibility for fire & rescue service inspections and was renamed HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.
- HMICFRS inspects all 43 police forces in England and Wales together with other major policing and law enforcement bodies.
- HMICFRS are 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 Lancashire Constabulary is performing can be found on the HMICFRS online assessment tool.
- For further information, HMICFRS’ press office can be contacted during office hours from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday on 0203 513 0600.
- HMICFRS’ out-of-hours press office line for urgent media enquiries is 07836 217729.