Policing inspectorate grades Cheshire Constabulary ‘outstanding’ at recording crime
Cheshire Constabulary has significantly improved how it records reported crimes, according to a report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
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Cheshire Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity re-inspection 2018
The report follows an initial crime data integrity inspection in 2016, which found Cheshire Constabulary’s crime recording practices ‘inadequate’. The inspection revealed that around 14 per cent of reported crimes – around 11,600 a year – were not recorded.
HMICFRS found that Cheshire Constabulary now records around 96 per cent and has judged the force’s crime recording arrangements as ‘outstanding’.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:
“I am delighted to see the progress Cheshire Constabulary has made since our last crime data integrity report. The force has radically overhauled its crime recording arrangements, and the results speak for themselves.
“Back in 2016, Cheshire Constabulary’s crime recording fell well short of the mark. Since then, the force has overhauled its training and reminded officers and staff what their crime recording responsibilities are. It has mapped out its processes, improved supervision and introduced strong audit arrangements. As a result, they are making better crime recording decisions.
“There is still some work to do. The force needs to make sure all crime reports are recorded within a 24-hour window. It should make sure victims are notified when a crime is cancelled.
“But overall, this is an extremely positive report. The hard work of staff and officers has made a real difference to victims of crime. People in Cheshire can be confident that when they report a crime, they will get the support and access to victims’ services that they deserve.“Cheshire Constabulary should be proud of its ‘outstanding’ grade, the first HMICFRS has given to a force for its crime recording arrangements. I hope that the force will use this momentum to build on its progress and tackle the last few areas for improvement.”
Get the report
Cheshire Constabulary: Crime Data Integrity re-inspection 2018
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 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 Cheshire 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 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday on 020 3513 0600.
- HMICFRS’s out-of-hours press office line for urgent media enquiries is 07836 217729.