Force rated ‘good’ by HMICFRS

22 March 2018

The Force’s ‘good’ rating from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is a testimony to the dedication and commitment of all its officers and staff, according to Leicestershire Police Federation chair Tiff Lynch.

In the latest round of PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspections, the Force was judged:

• ‘good’ at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour
• ‘good’ at investigating crime and reducing re-offending
• ‘good’ at protecting vulnerable people, and
• ‘good’ at tackling serious and organised crime.

Tiff explained: “This report is great news for the Force and its officers and staff but it is also reassuring for the communities it serves.

“We have acted on the areas for improvement previously identified by inspectors and have been praised for acting to ensure we prioritise the service to vulnerable victims and developing a more efficient way to allocate investigations which has reduced turnaround times.”

HMIC Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham praised the Force: “I commend the police officers, PCSOs and police staff working for Leicestershire Police for their hard work in achieving such progress and good outcomes for the communities across the whole county.”

However, the national picture did not make such positive news with inspectors highlighting that while most forces were maintaining a good standard of service to the public, despite increases in demand and financial pressures, the cracks were starting to show.

Ms Billingham said policing is ‘under significant stress’, explaining: “On occasion that stress stretches some forces to such an extent that they risk being unable to keep people safe in some very important areas of policing.”

About a quarter of forces are often overwhelmed by the demand they face, leading to backlogs of emergency jobs, she said. HMICFRS also pointed to a shortfall of 5,000 investigators, echoing the Police Federation’s campaign launched last week to raise awareness of a crisis in detective policing.

 The Police Federation’s national chair Calum Macleod says the report shows policing is reaching ‘breaking point’.

“The Government’s own inspector has said that some parts of the police service in the country are so stretched that people may be put in danger,” he said.

“If this is not a wake-up call I don’t know what is. We cannot allow this situation to deteriorate to such an extent where people are routinely put a risk. That is unthinkable – but shockingly it seems – not unrealistic.”

He added: “This independent report paints a desperate picture. It makes difficult reading for all and I hope the Prime Minister and Home Secretary will take action as soon as possible to ensure that the cracks don’t lead to irreparable breakages to this most vital public service.”

Two of the 43 police forces were found to be ‘outstanding’ at crime prevention and four ‘outstanding’ in the way they tackle serious and organised crime. Only one force, Durham, was found to be ‘outstanding’ overall, with 30 forces being judged as ‘good’. No forces were found to be ‘inadequate’ overall.