Official inspections have raised concerns with performance of police in Nottinghamshire; and Devon and Cornwall.
Devon and Cornwall was graded on eight areas of policing: good in one area, adequate in three, ‘requires improvement’ in two and inadequate in two (‘investigating crime’, and ‘responding to the public’. Concerns raised were that the standards of the force’s investigations have deteriorated; many investigations lack a detailed plan or effective supervision. Inspectors heard of not enough skilled investigators. As for neighbourhood policing, the inspectors reported that ‘many neighbourhood officers told us they were continually diverted from their main duties’ to respond to incidents elsewhere; and officers ‘in more isolated areas’ told inspectors ‘they couldn’t spend enough time carrying out patrols’.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) placed Devon and Cornwall Police into its enhanced monitoring stage, Engage, in October 2022. The latest inspection stated that while the force had improved its ability to answer 999 calls, it needs to do more work on non-emergency calls, to ‘understand 101 abandonments’. In the year ending February 2024, the force admitted its abandonment rate for all 101 calls was 48 per cent; that is, near half; and hence some callers to 101 ‘are then calling 999’. In 2023, the force answered 79.3 percent of its 999 calls within ten seconds (compared with the standard expected of 90 per cent). And of 82 incidents reviewed, ‘only 47 were attended within the force’s target attendance times’.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: “Since our previous inspection, the force has made significant efforts to improve in the areas we highlighted as causes of concern or areas for improvement, which is recognised. However, despite those improvements, more is required to place the force in a position where it is consistently providing a good standard of service to its local communities.
“The force has made considerable improvements in how it treats the people who contact it, from the quality of the initial call to the services the force offers. But the force still needs to improve the time it takes to attend incidents.”
These were HMICFRS 2023-25 PEEL reports into effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of forces. For Devon and Cornwall’s, click here.
Comment
Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez said: “For several months my recently formed accountability and standards team have been examining how files are prepared for court and how data is collected and used by the force. Their findings chime with those of His Majesty’s Inspector.
“The public must be confident that when they report crime the evidence and information they supply is correctly recorded and used so perpetrators are brought to book and victims receive the justice they deserve. Despite record investment in policing in Devon and Cornwall, this is too often not the case. I will be challenging the force’s leadership to improve significantly in this area.
“The inspector’s recognition of good prevention work holds strong, with us having one of the lowest crime rate areas, but it is extremely disappointing that the force is letting too many victims down, whether with poor response times or a delayed investigation.”
In Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire Police’s performance across eight areas of policing was graded by HMIC as adequate in four areas, ‘requires improvement’ in one and inadequate in three – pfreventing crime, investigating crime and ‘leadership and force management’. In March, the inspectorate moved Nottinghamshire into an enhanced level of monitoring. AT HMIC Roy Wilsher said: “Given these findings, I have been in regular contact with the chief constable as the amount of improvement needed shouldn’t be underestimated.”
As for the detail in the report, on investigations HMIC found that ‘investigators don’t routinely receive an effective service from forensic providers’. Average time for drug analysis was eight months. service level agreements for examining electronic devices were ‘consistently missed’. While the force did escalate ‘high priority’ investigations, HMIC found ‘no plan in place to improve waiting times’. HMIC also heard from prisoner handling officers, ‘who deal with the interviews of suspects who are in police custody’ and those investigating rape and serious sexual crimes, as lacking in training and experience.
This meant, the inspectors noted, ‘pressure on supervisors, who have to closely monitor their team’s work. Some told us that they are unable to supervise to the level they would like due to the numbers of unaccredited investigators who need their support’.
Nottinghamshire Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “A new comprehensive training package has been delivered to all our officers and staff who investigate crime to ensure that investigations are conducted efficiently, effectively and meet the needs of victims. We know that we still have more to do, but the steps already taken have seen our positive outcome rate increase further, with our charge rate exceeding the national average, and victim updates increase.
“Our control room handles a high volume of calls for service, including the highest number of 101 calls per 1,000 population in the country, so it’s vital that our officers and resources are always in the right place, at the right time. To achieve this we are continuing to evolve our processes and operating model to provide the best possible service to Nottinghamshire. This has included significantly increasing the number of inspectors and sergeants to further support our frontline staff and maximise our capability to tackle and investigate crime.
“We have also increased the number of officers in our neighbourhood policing teams including those with specialist skills, to improve how we proactively prevent and detect crime, and through a new dedicated team, we are targeting repeat offenders and those who cause most harm to our communities. This has resulted in significant reductions in neighbourhood crime.”
Photo by Mark Rowe: Falmouth.
