'Work remains to be done' by Cheshire Constabulary to improve crime recording accuracy

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has today published an assessment on the accuracy of crime recording in Cheshire Constabulary, which found that the force records around 84 percent of crimes reported to it.

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HMIC previously inspected the accuracy of crime recording in Cheshire Constabulary in 2014.

To assess the extent that recorded crime information in Cheshire Constabulary can be trusted, HMIC asked:

  • How effective is the force at recording reported crime?
  • How efficiently do the systems and processes in the force support accurate crime-recording?
  • How well does the force demonstrate the leadership and culture necessary to meet the national standards for crime-recording?

Based on these criteria, overall HMIC has judged Cheshire Constabulary as ‘inadequate’.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Although we found that some improvements have been made to the way Cheshire Constabulary records crime, more needs to be done. It is of great concern that we found unacceptable practices in important areas and many reports of crime not recorded. Overall we estimate that the constabulary fails to record over 11,600 crimes. These are not just related to offences such as burglary or criminal damage: we found that the constabulary was under recording serious crimes such as violence and sexual offences.

“Despite these areas for concern, we were pleased to find that the majority of officers and staff put the victim’s needs at the forefront of crime recording decisions. The constabulary needs to close the gaps within its process so that all victims of crime get the service and support they deserve.

“We have made recommendations to the constabulary that we expect to see urgently addressed. HMIC will re-visit Cheshire Constabulary in early 2018 to ensure progress has been made.”

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Notes to editors

  1. HMIC 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. HMIC inspects all 43 police forces in England and Wales together with other major policing and law enforcement bodies.
  2. HMIC 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.
  3. Further information on how Cheshire Constabulary is performing can be found on HMIC’s online assessment tool.
  4. For further information, HMIC’s press office can be contacted during office hours from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday on 0203 513 0600.
  5. HMIC’s out-of-hours press office line for urgent media enquiries is 07836 217 729.
  6. Follow HMIC on Twitter .