“This is a day to be really proud" Humberside Police graded outstanding by HMICFRS

25 November 2022

“This is a day to be really proud,” Humberside Police Federation has said, after inspectors awarded the force one of the highest grades in UK policing.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Humberside Police’s performance as ‘outstanding’ in six areas: preventing crime, treatment of the public, protecting vulnerable people, managing offenders, developing a positive workplace and good use of resources.

The results are even more impressive considering the force was in special measures from 2015 to 2018. His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “This is an excellent report and Humberside Police should be applauded for its efforts to keep the public safe.”

Lee Sims, Chair of Humberside Police Federation, praised the commitment and dedication of his colleagues who had “turned the force around”.

He said: “I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of all the police officers and members of police staff who have made this possible.

“Their commitment and dedication to taking this force from one of the lowest performing and in special measures to where we are today is nothing short of commendable.

“The grades are a reflection of the hard work of Federation members and staff in Humberside, and what they do on a daily basis. They’ve shown this commitment even during the most trying times, including during COVID.

“I'm sure that Humberside police officers and staff will continue to provide an excellent service to their local communities. This is despite the pressures they remain under, both in terms of their workloads and managing their family lives away from work.”

Lee said the Government needed to do more to support officers, who were working extremely hard yet being “significantly” underpaid.

He continued: “While this is a day to be really proud and celebrate our success and achievements, we cannot ignore that our members are overwhelmed with ever-increasing workloads, and are being significantly underpaid.

“Officers are using food banks, taking out crisis loans and having to work second jobs just to make ends meet. As the cost of living crisis bites, police officers are not immune to this.

“Although we received a pay increase earlier this year, it still puts us around 25% behind where we should be, when taking inflation and other economic pressures into account.

“Police officers work hard every day to try to make a difference. The Government needs to acknowledge this and show its support and how much it values all these officers by providing a significant and well-deserved pay increase.

“But today we are proud. I want to thank everybody for all that they've done in the past few years and playing their part in turning the force around.”