Force welcomes HMIC report praising neighbourhood policing approach but questions some of the Inspectorate’s judgements based on historical data
Devon and Cornwall Police has today welcomed a new report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which positively highlights the Force’s approach to neighbourhood policing. However, the Force has raised significant concerns about some aspects of the report due to the inspection being based on historical data, some of which is over a year old and does not accurately reflect improvements the Force has made.
The HMICFRS PEEL (Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy) 2023-25 report illustrates that the Force works well with communities to understand their needs, building the public’s trust and confidence and encouraging them to share information to help prevent and detect crime. It praised the Force’s use of problem solving and early intervention to help reduce crime highlighting that it works well with other organisations to find the root cause of repeat problems and make changes that will help make communities safer.
Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “I am pleased that the Inspectorate has acknowledged the good work that goes on in our neighbourhood teams every day which is a reflection on the hard work of our officers, staff and volunteers. We are committed to delivering community policing with competence, compassion and common sense which is why we remain the second safest Force area in the country, and this has been clearly recognised by the Inspectorate.”
HMICFRS rates the Force as inadequate at investigating crime stating that it needs to ensure it carries out effective investigations which leads to satisfactory results for victims. The Force has made sustained and considerable progress since the last inspection, such as a review of its operating model to create larger and more resilient teams to give more support to victims and ongoing work to address the national shortage of detectives.
Acting Chief Constable Colwell added: “I fully acknowledge that we still have work to do to ensure that our investigations are completed to the high standards that the public would expect of us – particularly when it comes to serious and complex crimes. We have made progress since the last inspection, but I recognise there is still much more to do if we are to deliver a better level of service to our communities and reduce some of the pressure on our colleagues.”
The report also does not reflect that the Force was formally discharged by HMICFRS in January from concerns regarding the management of violent and sexual offenders. At the time it said the Force had made ‘clear and sustainable improvements’ including investment in public protection teams resulting in a significant reduction in overdue visits.
Acting Chief Constable Colwell said: “I am extremely concerned that some aspects of this report will only serve to mislead the public about how effective we are at providing a service across Devon and Cornwall. I am disappointed it does not acknowledge the improvements we have and continue to make in other areas of our work and the strength of our community policing approach.”
The Force has raised concerns with the Inspectorate that the report is based on historical data and does not reflect the sustained improvements the Force has made to areas of concern since being placed in to HMICFRS’s Engage phase in October 2022. During this time, the Force has been working closely with HMICFRS through the Police Performance and Oversight Group (PPOG) to improve the areas of concern highlighted by previous inspections regularly receiving positive feedback.
In the report, HMICFRS rated the Force as inadequate when it comes to responding to the public stating that the Force needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency and non-emergency calls. However, when the inspection took place, the Force answered 79.3% of 999 calls within ten seconds. From Jan to June 2024, the Force answered 93.4% of calls within ten seconds, a significant improvement. For 101 calls, at the time the inspection took place, the report states a call abandonment rate of 48%, however, in the last six months there has been an improvement with the abandonment rate at 18.9%.
Acting Chief Constable Colwell said: “We have been working with the Inspectorate for some time now through the Police Performance Oversight Group (PPOG) and I regularly report back to them on our progress, however this report simply does not reflect the positive feedback I receive from the Inspectorate at these meetings. Reports based on historic data are also limited in helping us to focus and continue to improve as an organisation.
“In the answering of emergency and non-emergency calls, for example, the performance data quoted in the report is not a fair reflection of our current performance with limited recognition from HMICFRS of the improvements we have made. We continue to invest in innovative technology, such as our well received call back system and seek to improve our processes to further reduce abandonment rates including managing our digital demand.
“Whilst we have raised our concerns with HMICFRS, when the Inspectorate say we need to improve, we work hard to do so, as evidenced by the improvements we have made in managing violent and sexual offenders in our communities – another area that HMICFRS has omitted from its report.
“I am extremely proud that Devon and Cornwall remain the second safest counties in the country, and this is testament to the hard work of all our officers, staff and volunteers. We will continue to work with the Inspectorate, our partners, and our Police and Crime Commissioner, to deliver sustained change in the right areas to ensure we deliver a service to our communities that we can be proud of. ”