An official inspection of police forces finds a deteriorating service – a gap between what the public expects and police can deliver, due to ever-more complex and high-risk demand yet strained resources.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has reported on 14 forces in England and Wales; the remaining 29 forces will be inspected in two lots later this year.
Briefly, the inspectors report that demand is changing – calls to 999 are increasing, and notably knife crime, and sexual offences. The re-deploying of officers threatens to undermine ‘neighbourhood policing’. Inexperienced staff are ‘investigating’ crimes such as burglary (crimes are often ‘resolved over the telephone’), without enough supervision. Pressures of demand are undermining well-being of officers.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: “As this report is based only on the first group of 14 forces, we have to be tentative in how we judge policing as a whole. The patterns we are beginning to see emerge paint a picture of a committed and capable police service that is starting to show signs of real strain in some areas. Many of the forces we inspected are in general providing a good service to the public, but all are faced with competing priorities that if not managed correctly could see this service deteriorate.
“Despite these worrying trends, there have been some areas of innovation and improvement. In particular, we are seeing forces getting better at identifying vulnerability, with officers now having a greater understanding of what to look for to provide the right service. We also found several forces developing innovative ways of using technology to better manage the demand on their resources.
“But the forces we inspected are trying to meet ever-more complex and high-risk demand with strained resources. We have previously reported that redeploying neighbourhood officers, often to response, can damage their crime prevention work and limit their engagement with communities. We found that this trend has continued over the last year. Most forces also continue to have a large number of vacancies for detectives.
“Forces are improving how they manage demand, but that is having a knock-on effect in other areas. For instance, this is stretching forces’ ability to root out corruption which, as well as having serious ethical considerations, threatens to increase demand in the longer-term. It is also having an adverse effect on the wellbeing of officers.
“If these trends continue, the service the police provide is bound to deteriorate. A discussion is therefore needed about what needs to change. There is too big a gap between what police can do, and what the public expect of them.”
For the full 23-page report visit the HMIC website.
Comment
National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Chair Martin Hewitt said: “The substantial work from all forces to meet the needs of the public and be as efficient as possible is recognised. Particular emphasis is given to examples of innovation, improvements in how we protect the most vulnerable and investment in technology to better manage demand.
“Police chiefs, along with many others working in policing, have been very clear that the service is under severe pressure and requires additional long term funding. I agree with the inspectorate’s assessment that, without change, this strain will see our service to the public deteriorate – further undermining critical services like neighbourhood policing, crime investigation and counter-corruption. These demand pressures are having a worrying and increasing impact on the wellbeing and morale of our officers and staff.
“We are working closely with the Home Office and police and crime commissioners to make the case for further funding at the next spending review as well as developing plans to ensure every penny we receive is spent wisely and makes a positive difference to the public.”
