Latest news with #MichelleSkeer
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Gloucestershire Police found ‘inadequate' at protecting children
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Police has been found 'inadequate' at safeguarding children. An inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the force was 'inadequate' at responding to children at risk, investigating reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, and in its leadership of child protection arrangements. The inspectorate also said the constabulary 'requires improvement' at assessing risk to children and making appropriate referrals. In its report, it said the constabulary has 'good arrangements' to share information and contribute to joint plans to prevent harm to children. However, the inspectorate identified 'three causes of concern' relating to the constabulary's 'leadership of child protection, how it records incidents when children are missing, and how it investigates incidents involving children'. Gloucestershire Police said these findings will be used to develop an improvement plan. They also outlined the steps they have taken to address these concerns. Some of their actions include launching the Gloucestershire Rapid Improvement Plan (GRIP), putting monthly meetings in place to scruitinise how children are safeguarded, 20 more officers working in investigation teams, and providing more training to officers and staff. They also said they will run a multi-agency child protection conference, bring in advice from the National Police Chief's Council, and have started campaigns to tackle online grooming. Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone, lead for crime, justice and vulnerability, said: "Children and young people are some of the most vulnerable members of society and it's essential we do everything we can to keep them safe. "We accept HMICFRS' findings and recognise we have work to do to address the concerns identified in its report and to deliver the improvements required. "The steps we've already taken will help us ensure we've the necessary specialist skills and resources in place to protect children from harm; to respond to and investigate incidents involving them; and that appropriate leadership and oversight is maintained for all child protection matters. "The safeguarding of children in Gloucestershire is a key priority for the Constabulary and we'll continue to work with HMICFRS, as well as with our partners, to improve." His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: "It was positive to see Gloucestershire Constabulary working well with its safeguarding partners, but in other areas, I have concerns about its work to protect children. "I recognise there has been some instability in the senior team, but I have received assurances from the temporary chief constable that leaders are taking the findings very seriously, and are determined to oversee improvements. "I will closely monitor progress in Gloucestershire Constabulary over the coming months."
BBC News
23-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bullying found at Cleveland Fire Brigade during inspection
Bullying and micromanaging have been flagged during an inspection of a fire His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that progress had been made at Cleveland Fire Brigade (CFB) since its last inspection in leaders encouraged feedback and challenge from all parts of the workforce but there were examples of "bullying, micromanaging and abuse of authority", its report fire service has "welcomed" the findings of the report and thanked the inspectorate service for its visit. CFB was inspected on its performance across 11 areas by HMICFRS.A report, published on Wednesday, rated the service as "requires improvement" in three areas, "good" in four and "adequate" in Michelle Skeer said: "Overall, there is a clear commitment from staff, including senior leaders, to improve."We recognise the brigade is going through significant changes, which are affecting some areas of work. "I encourage it to continue to improve in the areas we have highlighted." Work needed The report said that 16% of staff responded to a survey saying they had been subject to bullying or harassment over the last 12 did find examples of bullying at a senior manager level but most staff said they had not found any inappropriate behaviour and felt confident they would be able to challenge it if they said work was needed to improve referrals for vulnerable people to partner found examples of vulnerable people waiting for further help that never came. Ms Skeer said CFB also needed to "make sure that risk information is accurate and up to date".She added: "We were pleased to see that the brigade has made progress since our 2022 inspection. "For example, the brigade has taken steps to better monitor, review and evaluate the benefits of collaborative activity."Despite the areas of concern, the report stated the service was good at responding to major fires and understanding said it was "effectively prepared" for responding to major and multi-agency incidents, ready to respond to tall building fires and worked well with other fire and rescue services.A CFB spokesperson said it "welcomed the findings of its latest inspection" by HMICFRS. "The service wishes to thank HMICFRS for their report and all their staff who have contributed and supported the inspection process," they added. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service praised by inspectors
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has been praised by a watchdog for "making progress" since it was last inspected three years report, by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), rated the brigade as "outstanding" both for understanding and preventing service was also rated "good" in eight other categories and "adequate" in Shillito, Humberside's chief fire officer, said he was "delighted" with the report, which stood "as a testament" to the "passion, dedication and professionalism" of staff. Michelle Skeer, of HMICFRS, said it was "pleasing to see the service has made progress" since 2022 and congratulated it for "keeping people safe and secure"."The service is also working well with local health organisations to provide an on-call falls response team, helping more people live in their homes for longer, reducing demand on other services."I commend them for the changes it has made and will keep in close contact to monitor progress," she added. The report said the service had improved performance through the use of data analysis, which helped it to assess risks such as deliberate fires and tailor services Fire and Rescue was also told it was good at responding to major incidents, fires and emergencies and utilising inspectors said the service was "adequate" when it came to promoting values and culture. Some staff lacked confidence in using feedback systems, and leaders at a senior and middle level needed to be more Shillito said: "I have never been prouder of our remarkable fire and rescue service. We will continue to embrace new ideas to strengthen the trust the community places in us and overcome any challenges to ensure people's safety."While there is always room for improvement, we will build on this report's outcomes to keep our communities safe."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- BBC News
Cheshire Constabulary praised for online child abuse overhaul
A police force has won praise for an overhaul of how it investigates online child abuse after a previous review found it was failing to tackle a backlog of Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found Cheshire Constabulary had invested in more officers to work on cases since its last inspection in 2021/ force has now been graded "outstanding" by inspectors for how it protects vulnerable people and manages offenders and suspects. Chief Constable Mark Roberts said the "positive" report showed that a "great deal" had been achieved since the last inspection. In 2021/22, inspectors found three areas that required improvement from the force, including a backlog of 123 online child abuse cases awaiting also found the force wanting in how 999 calls were responded to, with other areas of policing rated good or assessed the constabulary across 2024 and found it had improved to be rated outstanding, good and adequate across all areas. They found there had been "significant" investment in hiring more skilled officers and supervisors in its online child abuse, protecting vulnerable people and sex offender management teams. His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said she was "particularly pleased" to see improvements in safeguarding vulnerable people and managing offenders as a result. But inspectors said the number of crimes solved by officers following investigations was "low", adding it did not "consistently achieve appropriate outcomes for victims".Of 64,355 victim-based crimes, just 14.3% saw offenders brought to justice, they the force has again been told to improve how 999 calls are handled, with the service currently rated adequate. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- BBC News
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 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 Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said some of the areas for improvement were identical to those identified in its last 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 management of the Domestic Violence Disclosure offender and suspect time answering 999 number of non-emergency calls people at a constabulary-wide level, and the way in which they were prioritised for 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 also found the force was good at preventing and deterring 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 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".
