This year, for the first time, we have assessed leadership across the force. The assessment has led to a narrative rather than graded judgment, which is summarised below.
Read more about my assessment of Suffolk Constabulary’s performance this year, including where I would like to see improvements next year.
I am very pleased with the performance of Suffolk Constabulary in keeping people safe and reducing crime.
The force has a strong focus on preventing crime. It is good at investigating crime and managing offenders, including those involved in serious and organised crime.
I particularly welcome the force’s commitment to a strong local policing presence, and I have seen officers and staff working well with local authorities and other organisations to keep people safe.
Although the force needs to improve its approach to keeping some vulnerable people safe, in particular children, I am reassured that the force is taking steps to address this issue. In particular, I welcome the additional resources that it has devoted to supporting missing and absent people, child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
The force has performed well in reducing its costs while maintaining the service to the public. It is working hard to understand fully the future demands for its services and it recognises that its current workforce model needs to be changed so that the force can continue to provide an effective service to the communities of Suffolk. Together with Norfolk Constabulary, the force has joined with academic institutions to carefully review how it provides services to ensure it represents value for money.
I am pleased that there is a strong culture within Suffolk Constabulary of listening to the public and acting on their concerns. Local officers and staff demonstrate an impressive commitment to engaging with their neighbourhoods and generally have a sound understanding of the issues affecting local people.
The chief officer team has undergone significant change in the last 12 months, but it continues to promote an ethical culture and to treat its workforce well. It is also working hard to develop the force’s future plans and priorities.
Description of force area
Suffolk Constabulary provides policing services to the county of Suffolk. Although there are some areas of deprivation, Suffolk is generally affluent. Around 0.7 million people live in a predominantly rural setting. It has a small number of distinct urban areas that include the towns of Ipswich and Lowestoft. The resident population is increased by university students and the large numbers who visit or travel through the area each year. The transport infrastructure includes major sea ports.
The proportion of areas in Suffolk that are predicted to present a very high challenge to the police is lower than the national average. These are characterised by social deprivation or a concentration of commercial premises (including licensed premises), and in some cases both. Providing services across the entirety of the force area is hindered by the road network.
Working arrangements
The force’s mature and successful collaboration with Norfolk Constabulary saves money and provides greater resilience in how specialist operational and support services are provided.
In November 2015, the chief constable retired. The new chief constable was appointed in January 2016.
Effectiveness
In our effectiveness inspection, we judged Suffolk Constabulary to be good at keeping people safe and reducing crime. It is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. There are some areas for improvement in services to keep vulnerable people, particularly children safe. Generally, the force has a strong focus on preventing crime and keeping people safe with a commitment to visible local policing. It works well with partner organisations to investigate crime and manage offenders, including those involved in serious and organised crime. This is the first year HMIC has graded forces on their overall effectiveness so comparison of their year-on-year effectiveness is not possible.
Efficiency
Suffolk Constabulary is adequately prepared to face its future financial challenges. The force is improving its understanding of the demand on its services. It realises that its current workforce model needs to change to ensure that it can continue to provide an effective service to the public – meeting future demands within a reduced budget. In last year’s value for money inspection, which considered how forces had met the challenge of the previous spending review period, Suffolk was judged to be good.
Legitimacy
The force promotes an ethical culture and treats its workforce well. It engages well with the public, and listens to and acts on their concerns. There is a comprehensive understanding of the importance of acting legitimately, building the trust of local communities and treating people fairly and with respect. The force complies with the Best Use of Stop Search scheme and uses Taser fairly and appropriately.
This is the first time HMIC has graded forces on their legitimacy, so no year-on-year comparison is possible.
Leadership
The chief officer team has undergone significant change over the past 12 months but it has continued to promote a culture of cohesion, honesty and openness. It also provides a clear and developing sense of the force’s future plans and priorities. The force has set out clear expectations of its workforce, which are understood across the organisation, and has taken some positive steps to develop talent.
Insights from other inspections
HMIC undertakes other inspections in addition to the PEEL programme. Since the last PEEL assessment there have been three reports published on inspections that included Suffolk Constabulary. More detail on some of these inspections can be found under the Other inspections section.
Looking ahead to PEEL 2016
In the year ahead, I will be interested to see how the force responds to this assessment, and to the areas for improvement that HMIC has identified in the last year.
I will be particularly interested to see:
- how the force continues to develop its workforce model and how this enables it to continue to provide a good policing service;
- how the changes made in response to our inspection findings improve the service to vulnerable people; and
- how the new chief constable’s plans for improvement lead to better police services for the people of Suffolk.
In May 2016, like the majority of forces in England and Wales, the force will see the second elections for its police and crime commissioner.
