Avon and Somerset Police needs to make improvements, report finds
A police force has to make improvements, including its reaction time to emergency calls, a report has said.In a recent assessment, the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found Avon and Somerset Constabulary was 'good' in two areas, 'adequate' in one area and 'requires improvement' in five areas.His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said some of the areas for improvement were identical to those identified in its last inspection.Avon and Somerset Police said it had made "significant and sustained progress since the inspectors came in".
Assistant Chief Constable Will White said: "We welcome this report, the commentary from inspectors that we're open and willing to learn and especially their praise for the way we engage with and treat the public."He said since the inspection "we're now in the top 10 forces nationally in answering 999 calls and we've brought down the call abandonment rate".
Areas for improvement identified in the report include:How it allocates, plans and supervises investigations, "so victims get the service they deserve".How it identifies and prioritises vulnerable people for referral to other agencies.Its management of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.Its offender and suspect management.Response time answering 999 calls.The number of non-emergency calls abandoned.Wanted people at a constabulary-wide level, and the way in which they were prioritised for arrest.Consistency in achieving appropriate outcomes for victims.
'Closely monitoring'
The HMICFRS did find the constabulary was good at using police powers and treating people fairly and respectfully. For example, it has made efforts to better understand how and when officers use handcuffing, incorporating the learning outcomes into frontline officer training.It also found the force was good at preventing and deterring crime.His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: "The way the constabulary treats the public and manages its use of powers such as stop and search remains positive. "So does the way the constabulary prevents and deters crime, and how it communicates with the public. "However, the constabulary needs to make sure it properly allocates, plans and supervises investigations, so that victims get the service they deserve. It also needs to make sure that crime investigations are given the correct outcome when they are finalised and more investigations result in offenders being brought to justice."We also found that the leadership and governance of the constabulary could be improved in terms of its overall management structure and operating model, its use of data, and how its leaders communicate and work with their workforce," she added."I look forward to seeing how the constabulary brings about positive change in these areas. I will be closely monitoring this in the months ahead."
ACC Will White explained the force had "clear plans and increased resources" dedicated to tackling workflows.It is also finding ways to "manage rising demand" and to ensure officers' time is "spent tackling the crimes which impact on the public the most".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Warwickshire Police must improve call response times, inspectors say
Warwickshire Police must improve how fast it responds to 999 and 101 calls, the policing watchdog has said. A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found whilst the force's call handling had improved since its last inspection in 2022, inspectors still had "serious concerns" about how quickly officers responded once the calls had been answered. But inspectors also found the force was good at preventing and deterring crime, and reducing Police said it was already taking steps to improve on its response times and now had additional officers and staff in its investigation teams. Inspectors found that the force met its attendance times in only 33 of 68 relevant cases - and informed callers of delays in only 15 of 31 relevant said that the force had not improved in this area since its last inspection and was still failing to meet its own published the report also found that the force had improved how it investigates crime, with an increase in the number of cases force was found to be inadequate at responding to the public, and requiring improvement at protecting vulnerable people, building, supporting and protecting the workforce, and leadership and force graded Warwickshire Police as being good at recording data about crime and preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, and reducing vulnerability. 'Work in progress' His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said while it was positive to see that the force had made progress in some areas - he was concerned about how well it protected vulnerable people. He said: "The force needs to make sure that its governance and performance structures are capable of quickly identifying and addressing any potential harm to vulnerable people. "It is evident that the force is committed to achieving this. However, given the scale of the changes required, this is still work in progress."Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith said: "We were already taking steps to improve and have been working closely with HMICFRS in the months since the inspection. "We have changed how we respond and investigate and now have additional officers and staff in our investigation teams. This has resulted in a better response and outcome rates." 'Overall lack of people' Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said the report highlighted the work to improve the force's service to the public was already taking said: "Since the inspection period, the force has continued to sustain these improvements, despite increases in demand."He said the overall grade of inadequate for public contact was "disappointing", but added: "Nevertheless, the report needs to be seen in its full context, many of the issues it has highlighted come down to an overall lack of people to meet the increased demand or process investigations more quickly and effectively. "Warwickshire Police receives among the lowest amount of central government funding per head of population of any force and similarly ranks among the forces with the lowest numbers of officers compared to the population it serves."I have been clear for some time that there needs to be a fundamental review of the funding landscape for policing." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- BBC News
Surrey Police vetting requires improvement
The vetting procedures at Surrey Police have been rated as "requires improvement" by force has been criticised over delays in vetting new applicants and serving findings are in a report into vetting, professional standards and counter corruption published by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on Police said it fully accepted the findings in the report and recognised there were "significant areas for improvement highlighted". At the time of the inspection, there were 1,178 applications waiting to be processed, meaning more than 160 people are in posts for which they have not undergone full vetting, the report force was also told to improve the monitoring of its computer equipment, with staffing levels in its anti-corruption unit not able to meet demand, and so not able to proactively look for force was judged as good on its ability to tackle potential Wilsher, a member of the inspection team, said his concerns were not "too great"."A number of the things Surrey need to do, extra training, some extra capacity, better paperwork in their decision making, are things they can put right very quickly, and I'm confident they will," he said. 'Working hard' Dep Ch Con Tanya Jones said the force welcomed the report."When police officers, police staff, or volunteers, are involved in misconduct or criminality, it has a direct impact on public trust and confidence and, in turn, our legitimacy to fight crime, protect people, and be there for everyone who needs us," she said."While it is positive that the HMICFRS identified good practice, particularly in our ability to tackle potential corruption, we fully accept the findings in the report and recognise there are significant areas for improvement highlighted."We are working hard on improving these areas, with advancements already being made since the inspection. We will prioritise these recommendations, make the necessary improvements and be transparent about our progress with our people, and the public."
BBC News
30-05-2025
- BBC News
Hundreds of unvetted staff in Hampshire police, report says
A police force has 362 workers who have not been properly vetted, a report has and Isle of Wight Constabulary, which employs nearly 6,000 people, has been ordered to improve its vetting procedures by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).The cases involve existing staff whose vetting has expired or who have been promoted without higher level clearance, the report force said it had recruited a further 12 staff to make checks and had "robust processes" to identify unsuitable new applicants. At the time of the inspection, the force vetting unit did not have enough staff to meet demand, the report analysts and three senior staff were working on 223 applications, with a further 462 cases pending, it a review of vetting decisions on new joiners, inspectors agreed with 18 out of 25 outcomes but said some risks were not force was rated as "requires improvement" for vetting, but "adequate" for other integrity standards including challenging misconduct and tackling an HMICFRS review of 40 cases identified three where potential crimes were missed. These included an officer who tested positive for drugs and one who sent misogynistic, homophobic and racist later resigned, but the report gave no outcome for a third case involving an allegation of aggravated a statement, Acting Chief Constable Sam de Reya said she welcomed the added: "We had already recognised and responded to the challenges around our vetting arrangements, particularly around ensuring we had sufficient resources to meet demand. "Our ambitious recruitment programme to increase the number of police officers within the force required us to also bring in more staff to carry out vetting checks."The report recognised our efforts to increase capacity within the team, and we have recruited a further 12 staff since the inspection."Importantly, our robust processes ensure that only those who are suitable for policing are able to join the force."The senior officer added that the force's internal investigations had been found to be "good", with "proportionate, consistent and fair" outcomes. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
