Humberside PEEL 2018

This question was not subject to detailed inspection in 2018/19, and our judgment from the 2017 effectiveness inspection has been carried over.

Humberside Police has improved its investigation processes since our last inspection. It investigates most crimes to a good standard. There is a shortage of trained detectives nationally and it affects Humberside Police. The force used national guidance to make and act on a plan to address this. It allocates crimes to investigators with the right skills. The force monitors officers’ workloads, but some are higher than they should be.

Before our fieldwork we reviewed some investigation files and gave feedback. We were pleased with the force’s response. It quickly made improvements to its processes and refined supervisors’ management skills.

The force has recently improved the way it manages suspects shown as ‘wanted’ on internal systems. Officers understand the new processes. Supervisors told us they can review progress on these cases. The force keeps locally wanted people at the forefront of daily policing by various methods.

The force deals with a large number of foreign national offenders. We were pleased to see immigration officials working closely with the force.

Humberside Police uses new bail legislation to protect vulnerable victims, including victims of domestic abuse. It monitors the way it manages released suspects. We look forward to seeing future improvements from this monitoring.

Humberside Police has improved the way it manages vulnerability. But the force is still keen to develop further. It uses a nationally recognised definition of vulnerability. The workforce understands vulnerability – including hidden vulnerability.

The force collects and analyses data about incidents involving vulnerable people on a day-to-day basis. It shares data and insights with other organisations that it works with, such as the local authority.

In the past the force has not always responded promptly to vulnerable victims of crime. But it has since recruited a large number of officers. And it changed shift patterns to better meet demand. We saw good call handling for emergency and non-emergency calls. The force uses appointments appropriately for low-level incidents. Officers act promptly to safeguard victims and can identify other vulnerable people who may be at risk.

Neighbourhood teams help safeguard vulnerable victims, working with early intervention teams. This reduces demand from repeat callers. The force works closely with other safeguarding agencies.

The force manages registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the community. It is up to date with its visits and prioritises high-risk offenders. We are pleased that it has increased its use of legal powers to manage RSOs.

This question was not subject to detailed inspection in 2018/19, and our judgment from the 2017 effectiveness inspection has been carried over.

We have previously inspected how well forces provide armed policing. This formed part of our 2016 and 2017 effectiveness inspections. Subsequent terrorist attacks in the UK and Europe have meant that the police service maintains a focus on armed capability in England and Wales.

It is not just terrorist attacks that place operational demands on armed officers. The threat can include the activity of organised crime groups or armed street gangs and all other crime involving guns. The Code of Practice on the Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons (PDF document) makes forces responsible for implementing national standards of armed policing. The code stipulates that a chief officer be designated to oversee these standards. This requires the chief officer to set out the firearms threat in an armed policing strategic threat and risk assessment (APSTRA). The chief officer must also set out clear rationales for the number of armed officers (armed capacity) and the level to which they are trained (armed capability).