PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 - force press releases

Published on: 2 March 2017

Publication types: Press releases

Police Forces: All local forces in England and Wales

As part of our annual inspections of police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMIC assessed how effective police forces are at keeping people safe and reducing crime. Below are the press releases that accompany this publication.

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Avon and Somerset Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Avon and Somerset Constabulary:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Avon and Somerset Constabulary

“I am pleased to report that, since our last inspection, Avon and Somerset Constabulary has made a number of improvements to the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Avon and Somerset Constabulary continues to perform well in preventing crime. One aspect that allows them to achieve this is that they work to share information with other agencies, such as health and housing services. This helps them to understand better their local communities and the issues they face. The force works well with its communities to increase trust and confidence in the police, and understands that this can increase crime prevention.

“In general, the Constabulary has improved how it investigates crimes and reduces re-offending. I was pleased to find that the victims of crime are supported well from the instance of a crime being reported, with threats and vulnerability concerns being assessed. Crimes are investigated well throughout all levels of the force and by officers with the appropriate skills.  To improve further in reducing re-offending, the force should ensure that risks from registered sex offenders are monitored effectively.

“The way that Avon and Somerset Constabulary protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims has improved. In particular, the force has answered previous HMIC concerns about its response to missing and absent children. The force ensures that all instances of children being reported missing are managed on a daily basis, and that the level of investigation increases, dependent on the risk category given to them.

“The Constabulary’s work to tackle serious and organised crime requires improvement. The force needs to improve how it works with other organisations, to increase its understanding of the threats and risks posed from organised crimes, such as drug dealing and child sexual exploitation, to its communities. Without this, it currently lacks a full understanding of the intent and capability for organised crime that it has to deal with.

“Because of the improvements Avon and Somerset Constabulary has made, we have found them to be ‘good’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. I encourage the force to continue to improve the areas we have identified and am pleased with the efforts already made.”

Bedfordshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is inadequate

Bedfordshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is inadequate

Bedfordshire Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be inadequate.  It is the only force in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, 13 require improvement, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Bedfordshire Police:

  • is inadequate in preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour;
  • requires improvement in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is inadequate in how it protects people who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • requires improvement in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Bedfordshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am disappointed with Bedfordshire Police’s performance following our latest police effectiveness inspection.  It is the only force in England and Wales to be judged to be inadequate in its effectiveness in keeping people safe and reducing crime.  The force’s performance has deteriorated since last year.

“I recognise that Bedfordshire Police faces particular challenges – it has a relatively low level of funding compared with other forces and faces unusually high levels of serious threats and criminality in some places, like Luton. This represents a significant operational challenge for a small force with very stretched resources.

“However, despite repeated assurances that it would do so, at the time of our inspection, beyond isolated pockets of good practice, the force had still not put in place effective and consistent preventative community policing across the force area.  This is vital if the force is to prevent crime from happening in the first place.  The force simply does not have enough police officers and PCSOs dedicated to community policing to consistently engage with and protect its communities. This failure to undertake effective community, or neighbourhood policing, which is the cornerstone of the British policing model, is one of the main reasons why Bedfordshire Police has been judged to be inadequate overall. Since our inspection I am encouraged by the further steps the force is taking to address our specific concerns, but it will take over a year for the plans to come to fruition – this is just too long.

“On a positive note the force is good at protecting the public from the most prolific and serious offenders. In particular, we found good examples of Bedfordshire Police focusing on preventing some of its most dangerous offenders from continuing with a life of crime. Despite these positives, its overall approach to investigating crime and reducing re-offending is lacking.

“Bedfordshire Police has made progress in protecting some vulnerable members of the community and has invested significant additional resources in this area. I particularly commend the force for its hard work and commitment to improve its response and support to victims of domestic abuse. The changes put in place over the last year should, over time, lead to a consistently better service to victims in this vitally important area of policing. But despite this progress, there are still disturbing weaknesses in the force’s approach to missing children. Bedfordshire Police’s protection of these children is still of serious concern to HMIC.

“The force’s approach to identifying and tackling serious and organised crime also requires improvement. The force does not have a clear understanding of the threat posed by these high-end and dangerous criminals. Until it does, it will not be in a place to tackle them effectively.

“Despite all of this, I have seen how day-in, day-out, the hard working police officers and staff are doing their best, with very limited resources – and often under extreme pressure – to keep the public safe. I am encouraged that the force acknowledges the problems that exist and is determined to improve. I am hopeful that the commitment of the new police and crime commissioner to a focus on community policing and crime prevention, the determination of chief officers and the continued hard work of frontline officers and staff to make improvements, will lead to the changes needed. I will continue to monitor the force closely over the coming year.”

Cambridgeshire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Cambridgeshire Constabulary is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Cambridgeshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Cambridgeshire Constabulary has made substantial improvements in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Since our last inspection in 2015 we found improvements in many areas including in how the force protects and supports people who are vulnerable. There are still some areas that I would like to see the force improve upon, but overall it’s very encouraging progress.

“The force is performing well in the way it prevents crime, and it has a good understanding of the threats facing the communities it serves. This is helped by the work that it does with partners, like local councils, and its established and dedicated neighbourhood policing teams.

“Cambridgeshire Constabulary still needs to make improvements to how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. The force’s control room response is generally good, with call handlers obtaining relevant information from those calling 999 and carrying out background checks to determine the most appropriate response. The force needs to improve the quality and supervision of its investigations but I was encouraged to find that the force already has plans in place to do so. I would like to see local policing teams improve their knowledge of the identities of registered sex offenders, in order to better understand and take action to reduce the risk posed to their local communities.

“I am particularly encouraged by the way in which the chief constable and his team have made a concerted effort to drive improvement across the whole organisation in the way the force protects vulnerable people. Although there are still areas the force needs to work on, this is a marked improvement on our last inspection. Offences where the victim is vulnerable are investigated to a good standard by detectives or investigators with the right skills, and workloads are manageable. We also found that frontline staff have a good knowledge of domestic abuse, coercion and control, and child sexual exploitation links to missing children.

“Overall, I am very encouraged by the progress the force has made and commitment that it demonstrates to improve further.  Some of the changes to protecting vulnerable people are particularly noteworthy. Because of the improvements Cambridgeshire Constabulary has made, I have judged the force to be good in the way it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime. This is to be commended, however I encourage the force to continue to focus on the further areas for improvement that we have identified.”

Cheshire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Cheshire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Cheshire Constabulary:

  • is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is good at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is good at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is good at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Cheshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that since our last inspection Cheshire Constabulary continues to be good at the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The constabulary effectively prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. There is a strong commitment to providing a policing service for local communities, and developing neighbourhood policing. In the last year, there has been a reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour and incidents linked to repeat victims.

“The force continues to investigate crime and reduce re-offending well. We found that the force’s control room response is good, obtaining relevant information and assessing risks to determine the most appropriate response. Although this is at a high standard, the force can still improve the supervision of investigations. I was concerned to find that a large number of seized digital devices had yet to be examined, so the force needs to improve capacity in this area.

“Cheshire Constabulary continues to protect vulnerable people from harm and support victims. The force has continued to develop its understanding of hidden crimes such as child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse, and is working towards an improved understanding of modern-day slavery, so-called honour based violence and female genital mutilation. The constabulary is particularly effective at arresting the perpetrators of domestic violence and has achieved the highest rate of charging of any constabulary in England or Wales.  The constabulary does need to ensure that response officers become more effective at identifying vulnerable people on first response, to ensure that appropriate safeguards can be put in place.

“I am pleased to see that improvements have been made in tackling serious and organised crime this year. We found that neighbourhood officers now have a much greater understanding of how serious and organised crime affects their local community, and the role they play in gathering intelligence and disrupting organised crime groups.”

City of London Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

City of London Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that City of London Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – City of London Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:

“City of London Police is in general effective at keeping people safe and reducing crime. But there are some important areas in which I would like to see improvement made.

“One of these areas is how the force works to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. Although it analyses national intelligence to prevent economic crime, low levels of local intelligence prevent it from developing a wider understanding of the threats faced within ‘the Square Mile’.

“The force’s approach to tackling serious and organised crime also needs to improve. We were pleased to find a sophisticated understanding of the threat from economic crime and a structured process to assess the threat from serious and organised crime. This would be improved further by increased local intelligence and data from other organisations. The force should also improve how it maps different organised crime groups. We found little evidence that City of London Police has plans to deter people at risk from being drawn into organised crime.

“It is performing strongly in other areas, however. The force is good at carrying out investigations and reducing re-offending. We found that control room staff are effective at gathering evidence and allocating the correct resources to respond. The subsequent investigations are good with cases allocated to suitably trained staff, and effectively supported by the force’s crime scene investigators and hi-tech crime unit.

“The force is also good at protecting vulnerable victims. All relevant cases are allocated to its public protection unit, which investigates offences to a reasonable standard. The force works well with partner agencies to protect and support vulnerable victims. The force could further improve how it identifies vulnerable victims during investigations.

“I have judged City of London Police to be ‘good’ overall, but I encourage the force to improve in the areas we have identified.”

Cleveland Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Cleveland Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Cleveland Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Cleveland Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that since our last inspection in 2015 Cleveland Police has made a number of improvements in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force has improved its approach to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. In particular, the force has made considerable improvements to its neighbourhood policing model, allowing neighbourhood teams to have the capacity to work with local communities to prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour at the earliest opportunity.

“The force continues to be good at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that the force’s control room response is good, and that crimes are allocated appropriately for investigation. The force has improved its capacity for dealing with digital evidence, which means that investigations are not delayed. I was also pleased to find that the force works well with partner organisations to manage the most dangerous sex offenders.

“The force still requires improvement in protecting vulnerable victims. Although the force has made considerable progress since our 2015 inspection, we have identified some further areas for improvements particularly in cases involving missing and absent children, and domestic abuse. However, I was pleased to see that the force has made improvements in its initial identification and response to vulnerable victims.

“Cleveland Police is good at tackling serious and organised crime and communicates well with local communities about what the police are doing to prevent it. The force is also good at highlighting the risks of organised crime to the public and explains clearly what steps members of the public can take to protect themselves.

“I am pleased to report that because of the improvements Cleveland Police has made, we have now judged it to be ‘good’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.”

Cumbria Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Cumbria Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Cumbria Constabulary:

  • is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is good at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • requires improvement in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is good at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Cumbria Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that since our last inspection Cumbria Constabulary has now been graded ‘good’ at the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime. This is an improvement on last year’s judgment of ‘requires improvement’.

“The force is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe. I was impressed to find that both recorded crime and anti-social behaviour in Cumbria are lower than the average rate in England and Wales. HMIC welcomes the constabulary’s commitment to neighbourhood policing.

“Cumbria Constabulary has improved how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. It is encouraging to see that the force has improved its response to incidents, gathers evidence effectively at crime scenes and investigates allegations of crime thoroughly. The force has also made progress in reducing offending and monitoring offenders.

“There have been some improvements to the way in which the force protects vulnerable victims from harm, however there are still areas the force needs to improve. Although staff and officers are good at identifying and supporting vulnerable people at the first point of contact, we found some cases where vulnerable people were not responded to quickly enough.  Body-worn video cameras are not being used to their maximum potential which could be reducing the opportunity to prosecute more offenders of domestic abuse.

“I am pleased that Cumbria Constabulary has also improved how it tackles serious and organised crime. Officers are good at gathering intelligence, and information collected to tackle child sexual exploitation is particularly strong. I am impressed with the work the force is doing to prevent people from being drawn into organised crime.

“Because of the improvements Cumbria Constabulary has made, we have now judged them to be ‘good’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.”

Derbyshire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Derbyshire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Derbyshire Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Derbyshire Constabulary is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • outstanding at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Derbyshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am extremely pleased that Derbyshire Constabulary’s performance is judged to be good in HMIC’s police effectiveness inspection.  The force continues to do very well in the vitally important areas of operational policing necessary for it to keep people safe across the country and to reduce crime.  To be judged as outstanding in how it tackles serious and organised crime is especially noteworthy.

“Derbyshire Constabulary is good at preventing crime and tackling antisocial behaviour. It works closely with partners, like local councils, which helps improve its understanding of the threats posed to its local communities, and to be responsive to them. The force is trying innovative ways to keep its communities safe – it recently invested in digital PCSOs who use social media to communicate and share advice with local people.

“The force is good at investigating crime. Although we found some variation in supervision of investigations that were transferred between teams, in general investigations are of a high quality and allocated correctly.

“I am pleased that the force has a good understanding of the nature of the vulnerability within local communities, and that the support to vulnerable victims, like children, the elderly and victims of domestic abuse, is good.  I would however like to see the force ensure that its staff fully understand that domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence. It is an important distinction to make, as abuse can happen in many forms. Improving staff understanding of this could further improve the services for victims.

“The force is one of only four in England and Wales that is judged to be outstanding in how it tackled serious and organised crime. It is encouraging to see how it uses innovative techniques, along with strong partnership working to understand the threat it faces. A wide variety of targeted prevention work is conducted by multi-agency teams, which supplement the excellent use of social media to promote safety and awareness messages linked to serious and organised crime.

“Overall I am very pleased to report that HMIC found an extremely positive picture in Derbyshire. I would especially like to commend the police officers, PCSOs and staff for their hard work and commitment that has led to such a strong set of HMIC judgments in this inspection.  They are to be commended for the fine work they do to protects and support communities across the county of Derbyshire.  The force is one of the best in the country for how it tackles serious and organised crime – setting a gold standard that other forces could learn from.”

Devon and Cornwall Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Devon and Cornwall Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC found that Devon and Cornwall Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Devon and Cornwall Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Disappointingly, since our last inspection Devon and Cornwall Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime has reduced.

“Overall, the force needs to improve how it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. Although it does some good work in relation  to neighbourhood policing, a lack of a coherent strategy means staff aren’t always working consistently. Improving this consistency would give the force a better understanding of the needs of the communities it serves. In turn, this would help the force to engage with its communities and prevent crime by being more aware of the threats and risks they face, in a consistent manner.

“The force also needs to improve its methods for reducing re-offending. While it investigates crime effectively, the force could help to reduce re-offending by making sure that risks to the community from registered sex offenders are managed effectively. Devon & Cornwall Police will keep people in their communities safe by monitoring the behaviour of individual offenders, and taking immediate action against those who are wanted.

“I am pleased to find that Devon and Cornwall Police have made improvements to the way it protects vulnerable victims and that they do this effectively. The force understands the need to safeguard vulnerable victims and protect others at risk and processes related to this are managed well. Front line staff have received training on child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse to help them better understand the needs of victims.

“The force is continuing its good work tackling serious and organised crime. It is pleasing that the force works with children and young people to prevent them getting involved in crime and that there is good engagement with their communities to keep them informed of the risks.

“Overall, Devon and Cornwall Police needs to increase its effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime. I encourage the force to continue to review its procedures and make changes in response to an increase in demand for its services.”

Dorset Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Dorset Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that Dorset Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Dorset Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Dorset Police has remained consistently good in the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force is effective at preventing crime. I am pleased that it recognises the importance of working with communities to understand their policing needs and the risks they face. It also shares information with other public service organisations well to identify priorities for action on emerging crimes, such as child sexual exploitation.

“Dorset Police investigates crime and reduces re-offending well. It could improve further by decreasing response times and ensuring that there is enough resource to do this. It was positive to note that there is a force-wide understanding of the need to manage the most harmful and high risk offenders and that it is successful at doing so.

“Vulnerable victims are protected well by Dorset Police. It has established relationships with other public service organisations, such as mental health services. This helps the force to support vulnerable people and to assess the requirements of victims better. Inspectors found that the need to safeguard vulnerable victims and protect others at risk is fully understood by officers and staff.

“The force is good at tackling serious and organised crime and is improving its understanding of the breadth and scale of it in the county and the threat it poses to its communities. The force works with other public services to intervene and take safeguarding action to help prevent children and young people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime, which is encouraging.

“HMIC has judged Dorset Police to be ‘good’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime, which is consistent with our last inspection in 2015. This sustained good work is to be commended.”

Durham Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is outstanding

Durham Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is outstanding

HMIC judged that Durham Constabulary:

  • is ‘outstanding’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘outstanding’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Durham Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that once again Durham Constabulary is outstanding in the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force goes to great lengths to protect local communities and has a strong commitment to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The force continues to be outstanding at preventing crime and ensures that neighbourhood policing is at the centre of activity within local communities. Local officers have excellent relationships with partner agencies which creates the best possible service for members of the public. This also means that any emerging issues can be identified and dealt with at the earliest opportunity.

“I found that the force is good at investigating crime from the initial report onwards, however there is a backlog of digital evidence waiting for forensic examination. This needs to be addressed to ensure that there is no delay in an investigation.

“I am pleased to see that the force continues its commitment to protect vulnerable victims. The force responds to all calls for service, showing the continued dedication to be visible and available to the local community. I am particularly pleased to see that the force has engaged and consulted with groups of victims including those who have suffered domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation and hate crime. As a result there is a good understanding of the needs of victims which has been used to shape the services that the force provides.

“Durham Constabulary is also outstanding at tackling serious and organised crime and has created a culture in which all staff take responsibility for prevention and detection. I am impressed by the work to divert people away from serious and organised crime and am pleased to see that again the responsibility for this work is shared by all officers and staff, not just a specialist department.”

Dyfed-Powys Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Dyfed-Powys Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC judged that Dyfed-Powys Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Dyfed-Powys Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“It is disappointing that Dyfed-Powys Police has not made sufficient improvements in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime, since our inspection in 2015.

“The force is performing well in its duty to prevent crime. It engages well with communities through neighbourhood policing, enabling it to understand the risks they face. Officers and staff understand the need to communicate with those that have less trust in police, in order to understand their needs and help prevent crime.

“The force needs to improve the way it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that sometimes officers are allocated to deal with cases that they do not have the necessary skills to manage, such as those involving domestic abuse. This is concerning, as it may lead to vulnerable victims not receiving appropriate support.

“Dyfed-Powys Police also needs to improve the way that it protects vulnerable victims. The force understands the level of vulnerability in its communities, and frontline officers and staff understand how to identify vulnerable people. However, it needs to ensure the quality of the handover of cases is consistent and that threat, harm and risk assessment is supervised to identify safeguarding opportunities.

“It is pleasing that the force continues to be good at tackling serious and organised crime. It has projects in place to deter people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime and works well with educational institutions to make young people aware of the risks and consequences of doing so. It also actively manages serious and organised criminals to prevent them from re-offending

“Dyfed-Powys Police is judged as ‘requires improvement’ at effectively keeping people safe and reducing crime as its investigation standards need improvement, and there are weaknesses in its support and safeguarding for vulnerable people. I encourage the force to improve these areas we have identified, and I look forward to working with the new Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable in 2017.”

Essex Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Essex Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Essex Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Essex Police is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • requires improvement in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Essex Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am very pleased that Essex Police has made substantial improvements in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Since our last inspection in 2015 we found improvements across all areas including in how the force supports people who are vulnerable. There are still some areas that I would like to see the force improve upon, but overall it’s very encouraging progress.

“The force has taken on board our recommendations on how it should improve its crime prevention work, and it is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour to prevent it from escalating. Every neighbourhood has a community policing team made up of police officers and PCSOs who devote most of their time to preventing crime happening in the first place. The force regularly seeks the views of the public, often using Twitter and Facebook as well as the more traditional local community meetings.  Not only does it seek the views of local people about their concerns – the force then acts on them.

“I am pleased that Essex Police has also improved how it investigates crime, with officers who arrive on scene first generally doing a good job in collecting evidence during the ‘golden hour’. I would like to see the force do more to reduce even further the delays in investigations because investigators are awaiting the retrieval of digital evidence from electronic devices, like mobile phones.  While the force has a well established scheme, working with other local partners to prevent re-offending by some of its most prolific offenders, the force needs to do more to improve how it manages the risks posed by registered sex offenders living in its area. The force acknowledges that its work in this vitally important area of policing has further to go.

“I am particularly encouraged by the way in which the chief constable and his chief officers have made an enormous effort to drive improvement across the whole organisation in the way the force protects vulnerable people, especially children. The strong leadership and commitment to change on the part of police officers, staff and PCSOs is to be commended. Although there is still work to do, Essex Police has made significant improvements in the way in which it recognises and responds to people who are vulnerable.

“Essex Police collaborates well with Kent Police to tackle the most serious and harmful organised crime groups. The force not only pursues and disrupts these high-end criminal organisations but it also works to prevent them from taking root in its communities.

“Overall, I am very encouraged by the progress the force has made and commitment that it demonstrates to improve further.  Some of the changes to protecting vulnerable people, especially children, have been recently introduced and will take time to translate into consistently highly effective practices.  The force continues to press ahead with reforms at pace and I am confident that it will continue on this journey having seen the impressive work already embarked upon. I will continue to closely monitor the force’s progress over the coming year.”

Gloucestershire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Gloucestershire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC judged that Gloucestershire Constabulary:

  • ‘requires improvement’ in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘inadequate’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Gloucestershire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“I am concerned that, since our last inspection, Gloucestershire Constabulary still requires improvement in the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force needs to improve the way it works to prevent crime. Inspectors found that while neighbourhood teams work well with communities, officers are often re-assigned to response duties. This limits their ability to plan and undertake preventative activity. The force also needs to understand better  the threats its communities face, which can help it to prevent crime.

“Gloucestershire Constabulary requires improvement in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. It works well with other organisations, such as housing and probation services, to manage the most dangerous offenders and registered sex offenders. However, HMIC is concerned about how it manages individuals who are wanted by the force or have been named by victims as suspected of committing a crime. The force does not have a central process for arresting  all wanted persons promptly, which may result in their committing further offences and victimising vulnerable people.

“While the force has made some progress in the way it protects vulnerable victims, it requires improvement, especially in its understanding of the scale of vulnerability in its communities. This could be improved by working with other support services to share information and therefore better support the vulnerable people they serve.

“The constabulary’s approach to tackling serious and organised crime is inadequate. It does not have essential processes in place to help it understand the threat from serious and organised crime, which will hinder its ability to deal with and prevent crimes of this nature in its communities. Priorities remain concentrated on traditional organised crimes such as Class A drugs and burglary, with too little progress being made in terms of new and emerging crimes, such as modern slavery – this must be improved.

“Gloucestershire Constabulary has been judged overall to be ‘requires    improvement’ at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Its management of serious and organised crime is inadequate, and must be addressed urgently.”

Greater Manchester Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Greater Manchester Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Greater Manchester Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘outstanding’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Greater Manchester Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that Greater Manchester Police is good at effectively keeping people safe and reducing crime. Since our last inspection there have been a number of changes in way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force is performing well at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and is committed to making a difference for local communities. This is in part due to increased capacity of neighbourhood policing, allowing officers and staff to be the link between the community and the police.

“The force still needs to make improvements to how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that there are inconsistent approaches to investigation and while serious crime is investigated to a high standard, this is not always the case for other crime types. The force works well to tackle repeat and dangerous offenders and has made efforts to reduce re-offending.

“The force requires improvement in the way in which it protects vulnerable victims. The force identifies victims who may be vulnerable at an early stage, and investigates crimes against vulnerable people to an acceptable standard. However, some vulnerable people are waiting too long for police attendance at incidents. The force needs to address this, as these delays could be putting victims at further risk.

“After responding to the areas for improvement identified by last year’s report, Greater Manchester Police is outstanding at tackling serious and organised crime. The force now has a better understanding of the threat posed by serious and organised crime and neighbourhood officers understand their role in disrupting crime groups. I am particularly pleased to see that work is being done to prevent people from being drawn into organised crime.”

Gwent Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Gwent Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that Gwent Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Gwent Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“I am pleased to report that overall Gwent Police continues to keep people safe and reduce crime effectively.

“The force is performing well in its duty to prevent crime. It works well with partner organisations, such as health and education services, to develop solutions that prevent or reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. This helps to keep people in its communities safe.

“Gwent Police is also good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. The force places the victim at the centre of all crime investigation, and we found victim satisfaction rates to be high. We also found that the force makes good use of new technology such as body warn-video cameras, enabling them to prosecute some serious offenders more quickly.

“I am encouraged by the work being done by the force to protect those who are vulnerable from harm. They work hard to understand the nature and scale of vulnerability in their communities, and protecting the vulnerable is a clear priority for Gwent Police at all levels. This helps them provide the appropriate services and keep people safe.

“I was disappointed to find that Gwent Police requires improvement at tackling serious and organised crime. This is partly because it has a limited understanding of the threats and risks posed to its communities by organised crime, and therefore will find it more difficult to disrupt and prevent it, especially in newer organised crime areas such as child sexual exploitation.

“Gwent Police has been judged to be ‘good’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. I encourage the force to keep up this good work and to improve further by addressing these areas for improvement identified.”

Hampshire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Hampshire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Hampshire Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Hampshire Constabulary:

  • is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • requires improvement in protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Hampshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“Overall, I have judged Hampshire Constabulary as requiring improvement in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is operating well in many areas but it requires improvement in others, so it is a very mixed picture.  I am very disappointed to find that performance of the force has deteriorated in some vital areas of policing, in particular its service to victims of domestic abuse.

“In terms of the areas where the force is doing well – I am pleased that Hampshire Constabulary is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. The force is to be commended for its commitment to neighbourhood policing. Over the past year it has reduced reports of anti-social behaviour by a greater proportion than most other forces. It works closely and well with partner agencies, like the local council, which helps it to have a very good understanding of the threats facing its local communities.

“The force is also good at tackling serious and organised crime. It is increasing its use of partnership information and intelligence to better understand the threats posed by this high-end criminality and to take effective action against it.

“It’s clear that the protection of vulnerable people is important to Hampshire Constabulary. Officers and staff identify a higher proportion of victims of crime as vulnerable than many other forces, which indicates a good understanding on the part of staff.

“However, I have deep concerns about Hampshire Constabulary’s practices relating to some victims of domestic abuse, some of which are unsafe. For example, the force was only speaking to some victims of domestic abuse over the phone instead of visiting them to make sure they and their children were safe and not at risk from harm. Since our inspection the force has suspended this unacceptable practice.

“I also find it inexplicable and unacceptable that approaching two thirds of investigations into domestic abuse do not progress in Hampshire Constabulary because it is said that the ‘victim does not support police action’ – this is far below the figure in many other forces. In addition the force has the lowest arrest rate for domestic abuse in England and Wales – arresting only a quarter of perpetrators of this dreadful crime, whereas some other forces arrest over two thirds. The force would have been judged as inadequate in how it protects vulnerable people had it not taken steps to address these concerns before our inspection began.

“The way in which Hampshire Constabulary investigates crime is another area that requires improvement. Its arrangements to prevent further offending by persistent offenders and to protect the public from dangerous offenders are good. However, the number of offenders who are arrested has declined over the last 12 months, and fewer offenders are dealt with through the criminal justice system than in many other parts of England and Wales.

“The force is working well to protect other vulnerable victims, in particular the creation of an innovative stalking and harassment clinic which is encouraging to see. The force now needs to mirror this dedication and innovation in how it responds to the concerns we have raised about how it protects and supports victims of domestic abuse.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Hertfordshire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Hertfordshire Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Hertfordshire Constabulary:

  • is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is inadequate in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims; and
  • is good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Hertfordshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“Overall, I have judged Hertfordshire Constabulary as requiring improvement in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is operating well in some important areas but poorly in others, so it is a very mixed picture.

“I am disappointed to find that the overall performance of Hertfordshire Constabulary has deteriorated since last year, when we judged the force to be good.  The force’s overall response to vulnerable people is inadequate due to weaknesses in the way it assesses risk and supports some victims. We found serious weaknesses in the way the force assesses the risks to victims at the point at which they first contact the police. At the time of the inspection the force was not adequately identifying risks, meaning that too often it was not in a position to provide the support to people who were vulnerable people.  It was also potentially missing out on opportunities to collect crucial evidence that a crime had been committed. I raised my concern with the new chief constable following the inspection and I am reassured that the force has already taken effective action to address this.

“The force is also not performing well in respect to how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found weaknesses in the way the force supervises some investigations. It also needs to do more to improve how it engages with victims, particularly in the way it complies with the victim’s code of practice. I have asked the force to do more work to better understand why a large number of investigations aren’t progressed due to lack of victim support. The force is good at protecting the public from the most harmful offenders; however it needs to improve how it manages violent offenders.

“It is not all bad news. Hertfordshire Constabulary continues to be good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. It works well with communities to understand their concerns and with partner organisations, like local councils, to address those concerns.  The force is dedicated to maintaining a strong focus on community policing which I commend.

“The force is also good at tackling serious and organised crime. It works well with local and national organisations, like the National Crime Agency. I am pleased to find that the force demonstrates the ability to not only pursue and disrupt organised criminals, but to also prevent organised crime taking hold in communities. I would like to see the force continue to improve how it uses neighbourhood officers to prevent high-end organised criminality from causing further harm.

“Despite the problems we have identified, I am encouraged that the force responded immediately to our concerns. I am optimistic that this will lead to swift and significant improvements.  I will be revisiting the force soon and will report further on that progress.”

Humberside Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Humberside Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime ‘requires improvement’ – HMIC

HMIC judged that Humberside Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘inadequate’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Humberside Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Overall, Humberside Police must continue to make improvements to the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force is working well in some areas. For instance, it is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. This is an improvement from the judgment we made in last year’s report. Neighbourhood officers work well within communities to resolve local problems and prevent anti-social behaviour. The force also continues to be good at tackling serious and organised crime. It has invested in working partnerships with other agencies in order to put plans in place for responding to major crime and other emergencies.

“The force still needs to make improvements in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that there is an inconsistent approach to assessing immediate need for assistance, for example when a call is taken from a victim of crime, which may mean that vital evidence is lost and victims could be at risk of harm. The quality of investigations into crimes such as burglary, is also inconsistent at times due to inexperienced investigators and lack of supervision. I am disappointed that although these areas were identified in our report last year, they have still not been addressed.

“The force’s approach to protecting vulnerable victims is very disappointing. The force routinely fails to identify vulnerable victims at their first point of contact with the police, and at times the level of service victims receive is inadequate. In 2015 we specifically drew attention to the improvement the force needed to make to how it carries out investigations where the victims are vulnerable, as well as how it responds promptly when people need its help. At the time of the inspection these areas had still not been improved, which is a cause of great concern.

“Because of the continuing need to make improvements I have judged Humberside Police be ‘requiring improvement’ overall at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force in particular needs to get to grips with how it can improve the services and support it provides to vulnerable victims.”

Kent Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Kent Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Kent Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Kent Police is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Kent Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am very pleased that Kent Police’s performance is judged to be good in HMIC’s police effectiveness inspection.  The force continues to do well in the vitally important areas of operational policing necessary for it to keep people safe across the country and to reduce crime.  To be judged to be good across all the areas that we looked at is especially noteworthy.

“The force is good at preventing crime. I am pleased that Kent Police has devoted dedicated resource to policing its communities effectively. It understands the communities it serves and has equipped its officers well to work with other local partners to take preventative action to stop anti-social behaviour from escalating. The force also continues to develop new approaches to partnership working and during our inspection we saw examples which have been adopted as national best practice.

“Kent Police is good at protecting the public from the most prolific, serious and dangerous offenders. It has good processes in place and works well with partner agencies to manage such offenders, as well as registered sex offenders. However, I have some serious concerns about some aspects of the way in which the force investigates crime.  Although the force is generally good in this area I have asked the force to do more work to better understand why a large number of investigations aren’t progressed due to lack of victim support. Over one in five investigations are not progressing for this reason which is far higher than most other forces in England and Wales.  I am reassured that since the inspection the force has been working hard to understand the reasons behind this and to resolve the problem. I would also like to see the investigation of stalking and harassment cases improved to a higher standard.

“I am particularly pleased with how the force has responded to our criticisms in 2015, regarding how it protects and supports vulnerable victims. In Kent Police, the protection of vulnerable people is seen as everyone’s responsibility, not just that of specialist teams. We found that frontline officers have a good knowledge of how young people might be at risk from child sexual exploitation and its links to missing children. The frontline police officers and staff we spoke with had received training to help them better identify risks of this nature.

“Kent Police is also good at tackling serious and organised crime, and it is working hard to further improve its response to newer organised crime threats such as human trafficking, cyber-crime and child sexual exploitation. The force works closely with Essex Police to tackle high-level serious and organised crime – which allows both forces to combine specialist capabilities. This collaboration is very encouraging.

“Although there are still a few areas for the force to improve on, I am pleased with the performance of Kent Police. I am particularly happy with how the force has committed to the continuous improvement of how it protects the most vulnerable victims of crime.”

Lancashire Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Lancashire Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Lancashire Constabulary:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Lancashire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that Lancashire Constabulary continues to be effective at keeping people safe and reducing crime.

“The constabulary is performing well in its duty to prevent crime, and has a clear understanding of the threats facing the communities it serves. Plans are in place with partner agencies to provide early intervention and tackle anti-social behaviour within local communities.

“Lancashire Constabulary’s approach to investigating crime and reducing re-offending is also good. We found that the constabulary’s control room assesses incidents to make sure that the most appropriate response is provided. The constabulary manages investigations well and is good at protecting the public from the most serious and dangerous offenders.

“I am pleased to find that the constabulary continues to be good at protecting vulnerable victims. There is a good response to identifying individuals who may be vulnerable; however more work is needed to ensure that all victims receive a good level of service from the initial moment of contact.

“We also found good work being done to tackle serious and organised crime. All Lancashire Constabulary officers and staff understand their responsibility to gather information which could assist in the prevention and detection of this type of crime. I am pleased that the constabulary has been able to prevent some vulnerable people from being drawn into criminal activity. It also regularly communicates messages to local communities about how to protect themselves from serious and organised crime.”

Leicestershire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Leicestershire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Leicestershire Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Leicestershire Police:

  • is good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • requires improvement in protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Leicestershire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I have judged Leicestershire Police as requiring improvement in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is operating well in some areas, like neighbourhood policing, but it requires improvement in others, so it is a very mixed picture.  I am disappointed to find that overall the performance of the force has deteriorated since our police effectiveness inspection in 2015.

“In terms of the areas where Leicestershire Police is doing well – I am very pleased that the force continues to provide a consistently good service to the public in that way it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. The force works hard to understand the needs of the communities it serves; employing good use of social media to help with crime prevention.

“Leicestershire Police is happy to innovate – it has introduced ‘digital PCSOs’ to help keep people safe online. It has also introduced PCSOs who focus on safeguarding vulnerable people. It is excellent that Leicestershire Police continues to push the boundaries of new and innovative practice in spreading the crime prevention word – including through the film, Kayleigh’s Love Story, a tragically moving and highly effective campaign to encourage young people to be safe online.

“The force is also good at keeping people safe from serious and organised crime. It is increasing its use of partnership information and intelligence to better understand the threats posed by this high-end criminality and to take effective action against it. I am pleased to see that the force is working hard to prevent young people being drawn into this type of crime, as well as deterring those who have been involved in organised crime from returning to it.

“The force’s effort in investigating crime and reducing re-offending has not been as effective. An overly-complex process for dealing with crime investigations is hampering the force’s ability to carry out effective and timely investigations. The force needs to understand why there has been a drop in the proportion of investigations that result in charge and summons as Leicestershire’s is currently below the national average.

“I am disappointed that Leicestershire Police has not improved the way in which it protects some vulnerable victims. In 2015 we highlighted areas for improvement, but on return we found the force has not yet done enough to address them. I am especially concerned by the force’s practice of downgrading risk in some high-risk domestic abuse cases.  This could be potentially putting those victims at risk of further harm if they then don’t receive the appropriate support form the police and its partners, like local councils.

“Despite the problems we have identified, I am encouraged that the force is responding to our concerns already and I am optimistic that this will lead to swift and significant improvements.  I will be revisiting the force soon and will report further on that progress.”

Lincolnshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Lincolnshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Lincolnshire Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Lincolnshire Police is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • requires improvement in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Lincolnshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Lincolnshire Police has improved how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.   Since our last inspection in 2015 we found improvements across some important areas including in how the force investigates crime. There are still some areas that I would like to see the force improve upon, but overall it’s encouraging progress.

“The force continues to prevent crime and tackle anti-social behaviour well, with neighbourhood teams demonstrating a good understanding of the communities they serve – taking action to nip problems in the bud before they escalate. It also makes good use of Facebook, Twitter and LincsAlert to engage with the public.

“I am very pleased that the way Lincolnshire Police investigates crime and reduces offending has improved since our last inspection. There is still some work to do in order to improve the quality of some investigations; however the force has good processes and leadership in place which raises investigative standards. I would like to see the force improve how it manages cases where the offender is not immediately arrested. We found there is no force-level oversight or prioritised process to ensure wanted suspects are captured quickly, and prevented from causing further harm. However, the force manages the risk posed by dangerous and sexual offenders adequately.

“I recognise that there has been some improvement in how the force protects vulnerable victims; however this remains an area of concern. The force still needs to improve its understanding of the scale and nature of vulnerability across the county so it is better placed to keep some of the most vulnerable members of the community safe.

“The force is good at protecting the people of Lincolnshire from threats from serious and organised crime. This is in part due to the access it has to an extensive range of specialist policing capabilities provided through the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. Part of this unit’s remit is to focus on organised crime which poses the greatest threat; the force supplements this with investment in a more localised serious and organised crime unit. It is also carrying out work to deter serious and organised criminals from re-offending.

“Overall, I am encouraged by the progress the force has made and the commitment that it demonstrates to improve further. Because of the improvements the force has shown since 2015, I have now judged it to be good at how effectively it reduces crime and protects people. I will continue to monitor how the force improves the services it provides to vulnerable victims.”

Merseyside Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Merseyside Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Merseyside Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘outstanding’ how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Merseyside Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that Merseyside Police continues to be good at the way in which it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force is effective at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, and has a good understanding of issues in order to keep people safe. Neighbourhood teams work closely with communities allowing local people to be involved in setting of local priorities.

“Merseyside Police is good at investigating crime and supporting victims. We found trained call centre staff who are able to offer advice to victims, until a police response arrives. The force’s approach to investigation is also good, making use of specialist teams for serious investigations. However there is still a delay in the examination of digital devices, such as mobile phones, which needs to be improved so that investigations are not delayed.

“I am pleased to find that the force continues to protect vulnerable victims. Officers and staff understand how to correctly identify vulnerable victims in order to provide the best possible service. The force works closely with partner agencies to provide safeguarding for victims of domestic abuse and missing and absent children.

“Merseyside Police continues to be outstanding in the way it tackles serious and organised crime. The force has a comprehensive understanding of issues affecting its communities on a daily basis. This means that the force can respond immediately to any areas of concern. I am impressed by how the force identifies people who may be at risk of being drawn into serious and organised crime, or at risk of becoming victims of organised crime. The force should be commended for how it deters offenders being drawn back into gang crime, and the work it does to prevent re-offending.”

The Metropolitan Police Service's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

The Metropolitan Police Service’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC judged that The Metropolitan Police Service:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘inadequate’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Metropolitan Police Service

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:

“The Metropolitan Police Service needs to improve in a number of important areas, for the people of London to have full confidence in its effectiveness. Although this is the second year running we have judged the force as ‘requires improvement’ overall, it is its approach to protecting vulnerable people which is of particular concern.

“HMIC reported in November 2016 there were serious shortcomings in how the Met protects children. The force is also not adequately protecting victims from other vulnerable groups. We found indications that the force is improving its services to vulnerable people, but there is still some way to go. Although it has undertaken some work to better understand child sexual exploitation, it still doesn’t adequately link this to missing and absent children. Also, the Met still doesn’t understand the full nature of vulnerability across London. Officers do not always complete the proper risk assessment to ensure all victims of domestic abuse cases are kept safe. We have again made recommendations for the force to improve in this important area.

“The Met also needs to improve how it tackles serious and organised crime. Although it makes good use of its own intelligence, it needs to make better use of shared information with its partner agencies. The force should also make greater use of neighbourhood policing teams to gather intelligence and disrupt organised criminality. But it has had some genuine success in taking on organise crime and its response to gang crime is impressive. It has initiatives in place to deter people at risk of being drawn into gang activity, and good involvement from local policing teams in targeting gangs.

“I would also like to see the force in general improve how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending.  There is some good work being done, and it is  making improvements based on our recommendations in 2015, but there is still work to do.

“The force is performing well in preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. It also is good at assessing the areas of highest threat, risk and harm, and planning how it will tackle both traditional threats and some aspects of ‘hidden crime’.”

Norfolk Constabulary's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Norfolk Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Norfolk Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Norfolk Constabulary is:

  • outstanding at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Norfolk Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am extremely pleased that Norfolk Constabulary’s performance is judged to be good in HMIC’s police effectiveness inspection.  The force continues to do very well in the vitally important areas of operational policing necessary for it to keep people safe across the country and to reduce crime.  To be judged as outstanding in how it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour is especially noteworthy.

“The force works closely with partners which helps improve its understanding of the threats posed to its local communities.  Norfolk Constabulary has maintained its local neighbourhood teams, despite cuts to its budget, to help prevent crime and engage with the public. These teams have responsibility for keeping vulnerable people safe, particularly those who have been victims of crime. Neighbourhood teams work hard to ensure that anti-social behaviour is nipped in the bud, and as a result incidents of anti-social behaviour are falling.  The force uses an impressive range of approaches to support victims, and it seeks to prevent re-offending by encouraging offenders to face up to their behaviour and to understand the effect of their actions on others.

“Norfolk Constabulary is good at investigating crime and managing offenders. Control room staff are well trained and are thorough in assessing the risk to victims who call dial 999, so that they are best placed to ensure that they provide the right response tailored to that victims needs.

“The force is good at protecting some of the most vulnerable people in the community including children, people with mental heath problems and the elderly. Norfolk Constabulary works closely with a variety of local partners, like councils and the health service, to protect those who are vulnerable and support victims.

“To its credit, the force has one of the highest domestic abuse arrest rates and it prosecutes more domestic abuse offences than any other force in England and Wales. This means that the force is serious about bringing perpetrators of domestic abuse to justice, and to protect victims from further harm.

“Norfolk Constabulary also works well with its neighbour, Suffolk Constabulary to protect the public from serious and organised crime. Its encouraging to see the two forces working together in this way, particularly as the types of crime they are tackling span wider geographical areas than just each force’s locality. I am also pleased to see the work the force is doing to help to prevent young people from being drawn into gangs using programmes like the Prince’s Trust and its own cadet scheme, to work with young people who are likely to be disaffected.

“Overall I am very pleased to report that HMIC found an extremely positive picture in Norfolk. I would especially like to commend the police officers, PCSOs and staff for their hard work and commitment that has led to such a strong set of HMIC judgments in this inspection.  They are to be commended for the fine work they do to protect and support communities across the county of Norfolk; the force is one of the best in the country for how it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour, which deserves enormous credit.”

North Wales Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

North Wales Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that North Wales Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – North Wales Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Due to the improvements made since 2015, I am pleased to report that North Wales Police is judged to be ‘good’ at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force continues to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour effectively, with some good work being undertaken with respect to how it consults with the public to understand the threats and risks faced by local people. The force can demonstrate a good understanding of the communities it serves, including some which are hard to reach. It is aware of some complex, emerging or hidden threats, and works with partner organisations to protect the public. The force could further improve in this area by evaluating and sharing effective practice routinely, both internally and with partners.

“I am pleased that since 2015 the force has improved how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. The force provides a good initial response to victims contacting the police, as well as during subsequent investigations. Officers at the first point of contact identify and prioritise crime scenes, and capture forensic evidence. The force allocates the majority of investigations to appropriately skilled officers and staff, but on some occasions officers without the necessary skills and experience are allocated high risk and complex cases. I have identified this as an area that requires improvement for the force. The force is also generally good at how it pursues suspects and manages offenders and reduces re-offending with effective offender management. I would like to see it improve its approach to managing foreign criminals.

“Overall, the force needs to improve how it protects vulnerable people from harm. I am disappointed it has not made enough progress since our inspection in 2015. It has made some progress, however, namely in the way it identifies and assesses vulnerable victims at the first point of contact and allocates the right response. It also has a good understanding of vulnerability in the area. It is let down by some response officers failing to safeguard victims properly, and the fact that on too many occasions specialist investigations are allocated to staff without necessary training or experience to deal with the complex cases of this nature. To prevent this from happening, I would like to see force improve the capacity of specialist teams.

“Overall, the force is good at tackling serious and organised crime. Although the force has an inconsistent approach to responding to known organised crime groups, it works well with the Regional Organised Crime Unit and works hard to deter people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime.”

North Yorkshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

North Yorkshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that North Yorkshire Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – North Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that since our last inspection North Yorkshire Police continues to effectively keep people safe and reduce crime.

“The force is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, with a strong focus from the police and crime commissioner and the chief constable on protecting neighbourhood policing.  The commitment to preventing crime is well understood by all officers and staff, which was evident by the early intervention steps taken to tackle local concerns and stop problems from getting worse. This demonstrates a commitment by the force to continue to keep local communities safe.

“The force carries out good quality investigations, and has good processes in place to identify, investigate and bring repeat and dangerous offenders to justice and prevent them from re-offending. We found that officers and staff have the appropriate skills to investigate specific crimes. Call centre staff are able to assess risk correctly, however more could be done to gather information at this early stage. This would assist in the investigation process in order to prevent any delay and ensure the best possible outcome for victims.

“I am pleased to find improvements to the way in which the force protects vulnerable victims since our inspection last year. Vulnerability is recognised as a priority across the force. Individuals who may be vulnerable are identified at the earliest opportunity to make sure that the most appropriate response is provided by the force. The levels of support provided to victims of domestic abuse have also improved which will help to protect more victims from future harm.

“The force has improvements to make in the way it tackles serious and organised crime. The force does have some understanding of the threats faced by local communities and is taking active steps to enhance its knowledge of emerging crime types. There is some work ongoing to gather intelligence and disrupt crime groups within local areas; however, this was not consistent across the whole of the organisation. Further prevention and detection work is needed to ensure that all communities are protected from serious and organised crime.”

Northamptonshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Northamptonshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Northamptonshire Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Northamptonshire Police:

  • requires improvement in how it prevents crime, tackles anti-social behaviour and keeps people safe;
  • requires improvement in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • requires improvement in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims; and
  • requires improvement in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Northamptonshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am disappointed with Northamptonshire Police’s performance following our latest police effectiveness inspection.  It has been judged to be below the required standard in the four important areas of policing that we looked at. However, the force recognises its weaknesses and is on a journey, under the leadership of the chief constable, to transform its performance.

“I am also disappointed with the lack of progress Northamptonshire Police has made since our last inspection. Whereas in forces across England and Wales we have seen a general improvement in the areas we inspected, Northamptonshire has not made significant improvements, although it has a range of plans to do so. Many of the problems identified in this year’s inspection relate to the force’s workforce not being aligned to or suitably skilled to deal with demand. The force’s change programme plans to address many of these issues.

“The quality of investigations carried out in the force is too often inconsistent. We found that investigations were not always allocated to appropriately trained staff, and that there is too often a lack of supervision. In particular we found that some serious and complex crimes are being investigated by trainee detectives.

“The force has made some progress against the recommendations we made in 2015 as to how it protects vulnerable victims; however it still has a long way to go before it can be deemed effective. Despite the workforce having a better awareness of vulnerability and how to identify it, the standards of investigation and safeguarding for domestic abuse victims remain inconsistent. On a much more positive note, Northamptonshire Police is responding well to those at risk of child sexual exploitation, working closely with partners to keep victims and potential victims safe.

“The force only has a partial understanding of the threats posed by serious and organised crime, and its ability to respond effectively is hampered by a recent increase in gang violence. The force needs to improve this understanding and awareness among neighbourhood teams to ensure that they too can help in the fight against organised criminality.

“Despite all of this, I have seen how day-in, day-out, hard working police officers, PCSOs and staff are doing their best to keep the public safe. I am encouraged that the force acknowledges the problems and is determined to improve. I am hopeful that the determination of the relatively new chief constable and his team, together with the continued hard work of frontline officers and staff to make improvements, will lead to the changes needed. I expect therefore to see rapid improvement in the areas we have identified and I will continue to monitor the force closely over the coming year.”

Northumbria Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Northumbria Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that Northumbria Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Northumbria Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Northumbria Police continues to be good at effectively keeping people safe and reducing crime. The force also has some elements of outstanding practice in the way that it supports vulnerable victims.

“The force is performing well in its duty to prevent crime, and has a clear understanding of the threats facing the communities it serves. Neighbourhood teams provide policing within the heart of local communities to keep people safe and prevent crime. The force understands its communities by speaking to the public, gathering feedback, and giving them the opportunity to influence the force priorities.

“The force still needs to make improvements to how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that initial investigation of crime is good, and officers and staff have appropriate investigative skills to complete investigations to a high standard.  However, we found that there are very long delays before digital evidence, such as data from mobile phones, is examined. This is causing a delay in some investigations and may be resulting in delayed arrests and potential for further offending.

“I was pleased to find that in serious cases, such as domestic abuse and rape, the force provides an excellent service to victims ensuring that they are supported and protected from harm. The force is good at identifying vulnerability at the first point of contact and then putting steps in place to support victims. All officers and staff understand their role in investigating crimes and supporting victims, including keeping them regularly updated about the progress of investigations.

“Northumbria Police is very good at tackling serious and organised crime. This has been achieved by using a range of powers which are available to disrupt members of organised crime groups. This is to be commended and provides ongoing prevention and detection to keep local communities safe.”

Nottinghamshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Nottinghamshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Nottinghamshire Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Nottinghamshire Police:

  • requires improvement in how it prevents crime, tackles anti-social behaviour and keeps people safe;
  • is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • is inadequate in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supports victims; and
  • is good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Nottinghamshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“Overall, I have judged Nottinghamshire Police as requiring improvement in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is operating well in some important areas but poorly in others, so it is a very mixed picture.  There are a number of areas on which the force now needs to focus if it is to provide an acceptable standard of policing to the public of Nottinghamshire.

“In terms of the areas where the force is doing well – I am pleased that Nottinghamshire Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. Investigations are generally completed to a good standard by officers. Together with local partners, the force has a well-structured scheme for preventing those offenders who pose a risk to the public from re-offending. It is also working well to prevent young people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime.

“Nottinghamshire Police is good at protecting the public from serious and organised crime. It has continued to invest in its own specialist officers to tackle high-end criminality and it has access to an extensive range of specialist policing capabilities provided by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (that it shares with the other forces across the region).

“Despite good work in some areas, Nottinghamshire Police requires significant improvement in some vital areas of policing. It is of great concern to me that the force is inadequate in the way it protects those who are most vulnerable from harm. We found significant failings in the way the force identifies and responds to vulnerable people when they first contact the police through the control room. During busy periods some response officers do not always have the time to get to some victims quickly enough and a backlog builds up, too often putting people who are already vulnerable at greater risk of harm.

“We brought our concerns to the attention of the force during the inspection and it responded immediately, putting into action a practical response to address the large number of high risk domestic abuse victims waiting to receive a police response.

“Nottinghamshire Police also needs to improve how it prevents crime and tackles anti-social behaviour. Neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs are often taken away from core preventative policing activities to respond to emergencies and to investigate crimes. In Nottinghamshire we have seen signs of erosion in neighbourhood policing, the cornerstone of the British policing, and this is concerning.

“Despite the problems we have identified I have seen how day-in, day-out, the hard working police officers, PCSOs and staff are doing their best, often under pressure, to keep the public safe. I am encouraged that the force now has a new chief constable who acknowledges the problems that exist and is determined to oversee improvement supported by his police and crime commissioner. I am hopeful that a refocusing on the areas of concern that HMIC has identified will lead to the changes needed. I will continue to monitor the force closely over the coming year.”

Please note, for accuracy a minor terminology amend was made to this release. We initially referred to ’emergency’ response officers and the ’emergency’ control room. This has now been amended as above.

South Wales Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

South Wales Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that South Wales Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – South Wales Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“South Wales Police continues to effectively keep people safe and reduce crime. It has also made some improvements in some important areas, since our last inspection in 2015.

“The force is dedicated to neighbourhood policing, and understands the threat or risk of harm within the communities it serves. Thanks to this commitment, South Wales Police ensures that its neighbourhood teams concentrate on their specific role of community engagement and prevention work.

“Overall South Wales Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. The force is good at allocating investigations to the right teams and good at investigating crime, as well as keeping the victim at the centre of its investigations. Although the supervision of initial investigations are good, there is still room for improvement in the supervision of investigations of cases which are handed over. The force is improving how it manages offenders, and is good at bringing offenders to justice, so much so that it has a higher charge rate than many other forces in England and Wales.

“I am pleased to find a marked improvement in how the force protects vulnerable people. In our last inspection in 2015, we highlighted areas the force needed to work on in order to provide vulnerable victims of crime with the best possible service. The force took these recommendations on board and now offers a good service. In particular, the force is good at identifying vulnerable and repeat victims. Officers attending incidents clearly consider the safeguarding needs of the victim and family members. The force is also good at investigating crimes involving vulnerable people, and working with partner agencies.

“The force is good at protecting the people of South Wales from serious and organised crime. It is aware of the threat and risk posed by crime groups in the area and works well with partner organisations. I was particularly pleased to find that the force has several projects in place to deter young people from serious and organised crime.”

South Yorkshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

South Yorkshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC judged that South Yorkshire Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – South Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am disappointed that since our inspection in 2015, South Yorkshire Police still has substantial improvements to make to how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Although the force demonstrated an understanding of the threats facing the communities it serves, it still needs to make improvements in the way in which it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. I am disappointed to find that the changes in the way that the force provides neighbourhood policing has weakened its ability to be effective in tackling threats. This is a step backwards for the force.

“I was concerned to find that the force still needs to make improvements to how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending. We found that investigations are generally carried out by officers and staff with the appropriate skills. However, the supervision of cases is inconsistent and officers investigating offences are often doing so without sufficient direction or support. The force also has significant backlogs for the examination of digital media devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, which have been recovered as part of an investigation. This backlog must be reduced in order to reduce further delays to ongoing investigations.

“The force has improved its knowledge and understanding of vulnerability and has improved the way it responds to incidents involving vulnerable victims. However, it routinely fails to complete quality risk-assessments for victims of domestic abuse, which means that the force may not have all the information necessary to protect people from harm.

“The force has a good understanding of the risks posed by serious and organised crime in South Yorkshire. It has positive working relationships with partner agencies to share information and keep the community safe. I am pleased to find that work is ongoing to deter people from becoming involved in organised crime. This includes intervention and moving individuals who are at risk of becoming involved in serious or organised crime in the future.

“I have judged South Yorkshire Police as ‘requires improvement’ at how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime.”

Staffordshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Staffordshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

HMIC found that Staffordshire Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Staffordshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Staffordshire Police has some improvements to make in order to effectively keep people safe and reduce crime. That said, progress is being made in some areas.

“One area where the force is performing well relates to how it prevents crime and anti-social behaviour. Its methods of engaging with the public are good, and the force shows continued commitment to working with partner agencies to serve the people of Staffordshire. Its approach to problem-solving in the community could be further improved with a more structured approach.

“Unfortunately the force hasn’t made sufficient improvements to the way it investigates crime and manages re-offending. It has made progress in relation to how it allocates cases, and the quality of some investigations is improving. There needs to be better supervision from line managers to ensure that investigations are of a high standard, and that they progress in a timely manner.  We found innovative offender management arrangements, but a lack of capacity is causing delays in the monitoring of sex offenders.

“In 2015 we were critical of how Staffordshire Police protects vulnerable victims. I am pleased to find that the force has taken our recommendations on board and is working hard to make improvements in this area. As a result, officers across the force are now consistently treating vulnerable victims better. Despite this progress, the force needs to improve its response to missing and absent children. It also needs to improve the overall quality of investigations involving vulnerable people – ensuring workloads for specialist investigators are manageable and that such investigations are subject to regular supervision, where required.

“The force also needs to improve its approach to serious and organised crime, as it has not addressed all the areas identified in our inspection in 2015 as needing improvement.  There is scope for the force to build on the work it has done to develop its strategic understanding of the threat posed by organised crime groups operating in the force area.  It also needs to improve how it dismantles organised crime groups using the OCG mapping processes consistently and by using the relevant infrastructure to best effect.”

Suffolk Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Suffolk Constabulary’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Suffolk Constabulary’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Suffolk Constabulary is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Suffolk Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am very pleased that Suffolk Constabulary’s performance is judged to be good in HMIC’s police effectiveness inspection.  The force continues to do well in the vitally important areas of operational policing necessary for it to keep people safe across the country and to reduce crime.  To be judged to be good across all the areas that we looked at is especially noteworthy.

“The force is good at preventing crime, and has seen the third biggest reduction in the rate of anti-social behaviour in the country. It does however need to ensure that taking officers away from working in their communities to respond to emergencies is not having a negative effect on its ability to prevent crime from happening in the first place.

“Suffolk Constabulary is good at investigating crime and managing offenders and has an impressive high-tech crime unit with Norfolk Constabulary, investing in new technology and training to ensure that evidence can be secured from electronic devices to support prosecutions.

“I would like to draw particular attention to the progress the force has made in its protection and support of vulnerable victims. In 2015 I judged the force to require improvement in this area and I am pleased to report that the force has done just that. Officers and staff in the control room are effective at identifying where victims are at particular risk and they deploy officers appropriately to incidents that involve people who are vulnerable. Officers and staff across the force have a good understanding of the need to protect and support vulnerable people, for example children, or victims of domestic abuse.

“Suffolk Constabulary also works well with its neighbour, Norfolk Constabulary to protect the public from serious and organised crime. Its encouraging to see the two forces working together in this way, particularly as the types of crime they are tackling span wider geographical areas than just each force’s locality.

“Overall I am pleased to report that HMIC found a very positive picture in Suffolk. I would especially like to commend the police officers, PCSOs and staff for their hard work and commitment that has led to this improvement in the way the force protects and supports some of the most vulnerable members of the community.”

Surrey Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Surrey Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Surrey Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good.  It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Surrey Police is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in how it investigate crime and reduces re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Surrey Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am very pleased that Surrey Police has made substantial improvements in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Since our last inspection in 2015 we found improvements across many areas, and importantly in how the force supports people who are vulnerable. There are still some areas that I would like to see the force improve upon, but overall it’s very encouraging progress.

“Surrey Police continues to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour well, with neighbourhood policing at the heart of its service. It has a well-established and effective anti-social behaviour team and works well with partners, like local councils.

“Although there has been some progress in the way the force investigates crime and reduces re-offending, there is still more to do. The force has cleared a backlog of electronic devices waiting for examination for evidence, and there has been an increase in specialist staff and supervision. However too often the quality of investigations remains poor. The force recognises the need to improve investigations and it working hard to do – but it will take time to recruit and train staff so that they have the necessary skills.

“I am very pleased and particularly encouraged by the way in which the chief constable and his chief officers have made an enormous effort to drive improvement across the whole organisation in the way the force protects vulnerable people, especially children. The strong leadership and commitment to change on the part of police officers, staff and PCSOs is to be commended.

“Surrey Police has made a huge effort to improving the service it provides to the most vulnerable victims, and this deserves high praise. The force demonstrates an improved understanding of the nature and scale of vulnerability in the area, and officers understand their responsibility to assess and safeguard vulnerable people at the earliest opportunity. But there are still some areas for improvement – the force needs to understand why the arrest rates in domestic abuse cases have fallen and why its charge and summons rate is lower than the England and Wales average.

“The force has also made improvements in how it protects the people of Surrey from threats of serious and organised crime. It has a better understanding of the risks this high-end criminality poses – the starting point for effective action being taken.

“Given the improvements the force has made, in particular around its protection of vulnerable people, I have judged the force to be good at keeping people safe and reducing. There are still areas that Surrey Police can further improve upon – but I am very pleased with its overall progress.”

Sussex Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Sussex Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime requires improvement

Sussex Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to require improvement.  It is one of 13 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 28 are good and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Sussex Police:

  • requires improvement in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • requires improvement in investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • requires improvement in protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Sussex Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“Overall, I have judged Sussex Police as requiring improvement in how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is operating well in some areas but it requires improvement in others, so it is a rather mixed picture.  I am disappointed however, to find that performance of the force has deteriorated in some vital areas of policing.

“At the time of our inspection in the autumn Sussex Police was in the midst of implementing a significant change programme. We found that police officers were too often being taken from preventative policing duties to respond to reactive policing needs. Because these redeployments are not monitored, the force was unable to say with any certainty how neighbourhood policing is affected as a result. I have asked the force to provide reassurance that it is not eroding neighbourhood policing, the cornerstone of the British policing model. It is vitally important that police forces maintain the ability to prevent crime from happening in the first place.

“Despite the force’s initial response to investigating crimes being good, we found an inconsistent quality of investigations.  The force needs to improve how it supervises the investigations of less serious crimes, to ensure victims get the service they deserve. The force also needs to do more to improve how it manages offenders, particular perpetrators of domestic abuse and violent crime.

“I have a number of concerns about how the force approaches the protection of vulnerable victims. The force needs to improve how it assesses the risk posed to some victims of domestic abuse, to ensure the proper safeguarding measures are put in place in order to get them the support they need. Other risk assessments are general completed promptly and to a good standard. Another concern is that the arrest rate for domestic abuse incidents has seen a significant fall over last year’s, as has the charge rate for those offences. At the conclusion of our inspection I was reassured to see that the force took immediate steps to analyse the reasons for this and is now taking appropriate action to make the necessary improvements.

“It is not all bad news however. The force is working well to protect the people of Sussex from threats of serious and organised crime. It has a clear process for tackling organised crime groups, and officers have a good understanding of how best to gather evidence from police and law enforcement agencies.

“Overall, I have judged the force as requires improvement for how effectively it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Last year Sussex Police was graded as good.”

Thames Valley Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Thames Valley Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Thames Valley Police’s approach to keeping people safe and reducing crime is judged by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to be good. It is one of 28 forces in England and Wales to receive this overall judgment.  Of the other forces, one is inadequate, 13 require improvement and one is outstanding.

HMIC has assessed the effectiveness of forces by inspecting their approach to the most important responsibilities of the police and has found that Thames Valley Police is:

  • good at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
  • good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • good at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Thames Valley Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am very pleased that Thames Valley Police’s performance is judged to be good in HMIC’s police effectiveness inspection.  The force continues to do well in the vitally important areas of operational policing necessary for it to keep people safe across the country and to reduce crime.  To be judged to be good across all the areas that we looked at is especially noteworthy.

“The force is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour.  It is committed to researching and understanding what tactics work best in any given situation. The force also uses innovative ways, such as using members of the voluntary sector to carry out targeted outreach work with homeless people, to understand the threats posed to local communities, and uses this understanding to inform its policing priorities. This enables the force to meet the needs of the public, including some disadvantaged groups.

“Investigations carried out by Thames Valley Police are generally of a high standard. It has effective processes in place to make sure that reports of crime are recorded correctly and allocated to suitably skilled investigators. I would like to see the force ensure its office-based research team has sufficient capacity, so that investigations can be undertaken effectively and in a timely manner. Workloads for that team are currently too high, which is causing some unacceptable delays.

“I am pleased to see that police officers, PCSOs and staff are doing a good job in  recognising when a person is vulnerable.  As a result the force assess and address risk to vulnerable people well. The force continues its proud history of working with partner organisations to protect and support vulnerable people. We found that despite work being undertaken to help manage the workloads of specialist teams, some domestic abuse investigators still expressed concern over their caseloads. I am encouraged that the force recognises this; however the force should continue to monitor this issue to ensure it has sufficient resources in place.

“Thames Valley Police is also good at protecting the public from serious and organised crime. It uses publicity campaigns to help prevent people falling victim to crime of this type, in particular cyber crime. In order to further improve in this area, I would like to see local policing teams have a better understanding of the serious and organised crime threats the area faces. Other forces have shown us that these teams can play a vital role in disrupting and reducing this crime.

“I am very pleased with the performance of Thames Valley Police in how it keeps people safe and reduces crime. There are a few areas for improvement that I would like to see the force address, but overall the force is performing well. The chief constable, his team and the many PCSOs, police officers and staff working for the force should be commended for their commitment and hard work which has led to the judgment that Thames Valley Police is good across the board.”

Warwickshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Warwickshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that Warwickshire Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Warwickshire Police

“Overall Warwickshire Police has improved how it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime. While there are still areas it needs to work on, progress has been good nonetheless.

“The force operates on a solid foundation of local policing, however needs to improve its understanding of the changing nature of its communities to help it plan its policing activities better in the future, and engage with harder to reach communities such as migrant communities and elderly people.

“The force continues to investigate crime well, and reduce re-offending. Following concerns we raised in 2015, the force has increased its ability to download evidence from electronic devices. More investigations now rely on digital evidence and the force has done well to make the retrieval of this evidence part of its routine investigative practice.

“The force is still not protecting vulnerable victims well enough. There have been some improvements, but progress has been slow. In particular, it now has a better understanding of vulnerability in the area, and call handlers are well trained to indentify vulnerable victims during their first point of contact with the police. However, I was concerned to find that incidents involving vulnerable people could sometimes be downgraded without any clear rationale for doing so. Warwickshire is one of the forces we have asked to review why it has a high proportion of domestic abuse cases that are prevented from going to court due to lack of support from the victims.

“HMIC also found improvements in how the force tackles serious and organised crime. It works with partners to limit the harm which is caused by members of organised crime groups, which reflects national good practice.”

West Mercia Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

West Mercia Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that West Mercia Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • ‘requires improvement’ in how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – West Mercia Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Overall West Mercia Police has improved how it effectively keeps people safe and reduces crime. While there are still areas it needs to work on, progress has been encouraging nonetheless.

“The force operates on a solid foundation of local policing. As part of their day-to-day activity, officers and police community support take time to find out what matters to local people; however, there remain areas where local policing could be improved. I would like to see the force improve its understanding of demographic and population trends, as it would then be better placed to prioritise resources and plan for the future. It also needs to evaluate its problem-solving initiatives better, to identify further areas it might need to improve upon.

“The force continues to investigate crime well, and reduce re-offending. Following concerns we raised in 2015, the force has increased its ability to download evidence from electronic devices. More investigations now rely on digital evidence and the force has done well to make the retrieval of this evidence part of its routine investigative practice.

“I am pleased to report that since our inspection in 2015, the force has improved how it protects vulnerable victims. The force is to be commended for not only the commitment it has shown in protecting the vulnerable, but also because its improved approach has resulted in better services for victims, particularly victims of domestic abuse victims and missing children.

“Although the force has also improved how it protects the people of West Mercia from serious and organised crime, there are still some areas it needs to improve upon. We found that there are good processes in place to assign local resources to serious and organised crime across the wider area, however the force needs to improve how it assesses its efforts in disrupting crime. I would also like to see it work harder to deter young people from being drawn into serious and organised crime.”

West Midlands Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

West Midlands Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that West Midlands Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • ‘requires improvement’ in at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at tackling serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – West Midlands Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“I am pleased to report that, since our last inspection, West Midlands Police’s performance has been maintained. It is performing well in some areas, however needs to make some improvements in others.

“The force continues to demonstrate a good understanding of the communities it serves. The force also uses a range of activities to understand what policing activity it needs to priorities to meet the needs of the public, including some hard to reach groups who would not routinely engage with the police.

“The force continues to investigate crime well, and reduce re-offending, however could work more effectively in some areas. The force assesses calls from the public well, and ensures an appropriate response is provided in the majority of cases. Investigations are also largely thorough, although we did find some inconsistency. The force also demonstrated a broad range of effective intelligence and forensic capabilities which provide good support to investigations.

“The force still needs to make substantial improvements to how it protects vulnerable victims from harm. Although it is working well in some areas,  the force’s response to domestic abuse is a particular cause of concern for HMIC. It needs to improve how it assesses risks posed to victims, in order to get them the support and protection they need. There are still recommendations that we made as far back as 2014 that the force is yet to respond to. The force needs to urgently address this. I would also  like the force to improve how it assesses risk in missing children cases and ensure it makes full use of all available information to keep children safe.

“Overall the force is good at protecting the people of the West Midlands from serious and organised crime. We found that there is effective practice in place, such as initiatives to deter people from becoming involved in serious and organised crime and the arrangements for assessing and responding to traditional and emerging serious crimes. However there is room for improvement in how the force uses national processes such as OCG mapping to respond to and understand fully the threat. I would like to see the force improve the effectiveness of its response to serious and organised crime by ensuring its approach is developed further to provide an even stronger response.”

West Yorkshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

West Yorkshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC judged that West Yorkshire Police:

  • ‘requires improvement’ in preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – West Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that overall West Yorkshire Police continues effectively keep people safe and reduce crime.

“The force has a good understanding of threats, more work is needed to understand its changing and emerging communities in order to fully assess any future issues.  The force is committed to engaging with the public through neighbourhood policing, however this is inconsistent and all communities deserve the same level of service.

“The force is good at responding immediately to investigations and this is partly due to good work in the control room as call handlers gather information and offer advice on preserving evidence. I am also pleased to see that progress has been made around the capacity and capability dealing with crimes that are conducted using new electronic and digitally based technology. This is an improvement from last year’s performance and I hope to see continued work in this area, in particular to ensure that investigations are completed thoroughly and quickly with the best interests of the victim in mind.

“I am pleased to see that good progress has been made in protecting vulnerable victims. The force has increased the numbers of staff who are involved in supporting and protecting vulnerable victims, and have completed training to improve their knowledge, skills and awareness. This is an improvement from our last inspection and I am encouraged to see the commitment to supporting victims is a priority.

“West Yorkshire Police is also good at tackling serious and organised crime. We found that steps had been taken to improve its response to organised crime threats such as human trafficking, cyber-crime and child sexual exploitation. This ensures that early intervention and prevention steps can be taken to keep communities safe in the future.”

Wiltshire Police's effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

Wiltshire Police’s effectiveness at keeping people safe and reducing crime is good

HMIC found that Wiltshire Police:

  • is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe;
  • is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and reduces re-offending;
  • is ‘good’ at how it protects those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims; and
  • is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and organised crime.

PEEL: police effectiveness 2016 – Wiltshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Wiltshire Police continues to perform well in effectively keeping people safe and reducing crime.

“The force continues to demonstrate a good understanding of the communities it serves and the threats it faces. The force solves problems within communities well. Staff are effectively working with partners, sharing information and resolving problems together.

“Wiltshire Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. It has good processes in place to assess incidents, and determine the correct course of action. HMIC found investigative caseloads were handled by officers with the appropriate levels of training and competence and with manageable workloads. Supervision levels and inputs were effective, as were measures to monitor sexual and violent offenders. It has also progressed well in the areas HMIC identified as needing improvement in 2015, namely preventing re-offending and providing effective victim care.

“The force has a good understanding of the nature and scale of vulnerability in the area it serves. It also works well with partner organisations to provide safeguarding, and understand high-risk areas. I am encouraged by the force’s commitment to addressing the area of concern we identified in 2015, by improving its approach to missing and absent children. HMIC will continue to monitor the outcomes of crimes related to domestic abuse that fall into the outcome category ‘evidential difficulties’, as well as the roll out of body worn videos, which should result in further improved services to victims.

“Wiltshire Police has a good understanding of the threat posed by serious and organised crime, and has dedicated resources to improving further its understanding of human trafficking, modern slavery and other emerging threats. The force has a clear and effective way of agreeing priorities, plans and decisions for its intelligence processes and is clearly focused on collecting intelligence to help it understand the threat. I commend the force for its sustained good practice.”


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Notes to editors

  • Effectiveness is the final part of HMIC’s annual inspections into police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy (PEEL) to be published. Our inspection focused on the overall question: ‘How effective is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?’ To answer this question HMIC evaluated four areas:
    • how effective is the force at preventing crime, anti-social behaviour?;
    • how effective is the force at investigating crime and managing offenders?;
    • how effective is the force at protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims?;
    • how effective is the force at tackling serious and organised crime?
  • The grades and reports relating to the 2015 PEEL Effectiveness inspections can be found on HMIC’s website.
  • Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest, and rigorously examines 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.
  • For further information, HMIC’s press office can be contacted during office hours from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday on 0203 513 0600.
  • HMIC’s out-of-hours press office line for urgent media enquiries is 07836 217 729.

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