Devon and Cornwall Police has been told it must make “urgent improvements” after it was found to be inadequate in several areas, the police inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Devon and Cornwall Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was ‘inadequate’ in three areas, ‘requires improvement’ in two areas, ‘adequate’ in two areas and ‘good’ in two areas. None of the areas were rated ‘outstanding’.
HMICFRS said the inadequate areas included recording data about crime, responding to the public and managing offenders.
In October 2022, HMICFRS placed Devon and Cornwall Police into its enhanced monitoring stage, Engage.
In response to the latest report, the force vowed to continue making improvements “at pace”.
It went on to say that since the inspection a range of improvements had already been made, including boosting resources in the areas identified, reviewing policies and procedures, as well as working with other forces to identify best practice.
Read the force’s full response here: Police chief responds to 'inadequate' review - with improvements already made
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said now: “I have concerns about the performance of Devon and Cornwall Police in keeping people safe and reducing crime.
“In particular, I have serious concerns about the accuracy of its crime recording, its response to the public, and its management of sexual and violent offenders.
“In view of these findings, I have been in regular contact with the chief constable, as I do not underestimate how much improvement is needed.
“These are the findings I consider most important from our assessments of the force over the last year.”
The force’s crime recording has deteriorated since the last inspection
“The force doesn’t always record crimes against vulnerable victims, particularly violent or behavioural crimes, and anti-social behaviour. It also needs to record domestic abuse related crimes better. It should improve its auditing and oversight to help with this.
“Failure to record a crime often results in victims not being properly safeguarded and no investigation taking place.”
The force isn’t providing an effective response to the public
“The force doesn’t answer, or respond to, emergency or non-emergency calls within adequate time frames, and too many members of the public abandon their calls. Failure to answer or attend calls quickly can result in missed investigative opportunities and a loss of public confidence.
“Repeat and vulnerable callers aren’t always identified, and callers aren’t always given the appropriate advice on preservation of evidence or crime prevention. This may affect the level of service provided, lead to a loss of evidence and mean that opportunities to prevent further crimes being committed against that person are missed.”
The force is unable to adequately manage registered sexual and violent offenders
“The force hasn’t been able to promptly assess or manage the risks posed by registered sexual and violent offenders. Doing so will allow the force to better understand any escalating risk and whether it needs to take any action to manage the risk.”
The force works well with other organisations to prioritise the prevention and deterrence of crime
“We found good examples of evidence-based problem solving and early intervention being used to tackle enduring force-wide and local threats to communities. Police and local organisations co-operate closely to determine and tackle shared priorities, which helps develop a shared understanding of needs and builds resilience and cohesion.”
Members of the workforce are well supported to do their jobs
“Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, the G7 summit and high seasonal demand, the workforce have shown that they are resilient, engaged and positive about their work and have trust and confidence in their leaders.
“This is underpinned by an inclusive people strategy that focuses on cultural awareness, well-being, recruitment, development and retention.
“Devon and Cornwall Police has told me how it intends to make improvements in the areas we have identified. This should be included in its strategic planning and organisational management. We will work closely with the force over the coming months to monitor its progress against these important and necessary changes.”
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