Derbyshire 2016

Derbyshire Constabulary is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe. It understands its communities well and the threats they face. Neighbourhood staff are responsive to the things that matter to their local communities. The force achieves considerable success and has broadened its engagement across the community through the role of the digital PCSO (police community support officer), who uses social media to communicate and share advice with the public.

The force works well with partner organisations, such as local councils, to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, but it does not use a common problem-solving model and this impairs its ability to measure its successes.

Initial investigations by the force are good and its improved computer systems mean call-handlers are better equipped to identify vulnerable victims at the earliest opportunity.

Investigations of crimes are routinely handed over between teams and we found a variable quality of handovers and supervisory reviews. However, investigations are generally of a good quality and a high proportion of them result in offenders being brought to justice. As in HMIC’s 2015 effectiveness inspection, we found occasions when PCSOs investigate crime when they are not trained to do so.

The force has a good understanding of the nature and scale of threats from crime faced by the public and the different ways in which people can be considered vulnerable. Frontline officers assess risk to an adequate standard when dealing with domestic abuse. Good progress is being made to achieve the improvements set out in the force’s domestic abuse action plan, written in response to recommendations contained in the HMIC report, Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse published in 2014. However, the force needs to ensure that staff understand that domestic abuse is a wider problem than physical violence alone. The force is good at working in co-operation with partner organisations to support victims of domestic abuse. Specialist staff from the police and from other agencies work together at two multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASHs). Both hubs are operating well and improvements to the way cases are managed means that more multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs) are being held across Derbyshire providing support to more victims facing the highest risk, and in greatest need, than in previous years.

Innovation and a strong partnership approach are used both to understand and to tackle serious and organised crime. When organised crime groups are identified, comprehensive analysis is carried out to understand how they operate and who is involved. The force is capable of carrying out complex investigations to disrupt organised crime groups and bring offenders to justice. It also makes good use of the specialist capabilities that are available via the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU). There is increasing emphasis on understanding how serious and organised crime affects communities and particularly those people vulnerable to exploitation. Targeted prevention activity is conducted by multi-agency teams and through excellent use of social media.

Derbyshire Constabulary has the necessary arrangements in place to fulfil its national policing responsibilities. The armed policing strategic assessment was reviewed in the wake of the terror attacks in Europe and a variety of exercises have taken place to test the force’s response to a marauding terrorist firearms attack.