Inspectors have found Staffordshire Police is “inadequate” in how it responds to the public.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said the force was not attending priority incidents within its two-hour target often enough, and that too many non-emergency calls were being abandoned.
The finding comes despite inspectors raising concerns about how Staffordshire Police responds to the public two years ago.
But the force was found to have made improvements in how it safeguards vulnerable people and uses stop and search powers, while its partnership working was also praised.
The findings were included in the force’s latest police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy report, known as PEEL.
HMICFRS graded Staffordshire Police’s performance across nine areas. Five were rated as adequate, three were found to require improvement, and one area, responding to the public, was rated inadequate. No areas were rated good or outstanding.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Kathryn Stone OBE said
“I am encouraged that Staffordshire Police has made some improvement in its safeguarding work and in how its officers use stop and search powers. Multi-agency working is a real strength that the force should build on.
“There are, however, too many areas where sufficient progress has not been made since our last inspection.
“I have concerns about how the force is responding to calls from the public, how it investigates crime on behalf of victims and how well it understands and responds to its current and future policing demands.
“It is particularly concerning that, despite our 2024 inspection highlighting that the force needed to improve how it responds to the public, we found that performance in this area was inadequate. The force needs to urgently improve its response when the public call for help.
“I expect the force to address these issues with urgency, and I will continue to monitor its performance.”
In 2025/26, nearly 20 per cent of calls to Staffordshire Police’s 101 service were abandoned, which inspectors said was “not an acceptable level”. The report noted that performance had improved in recent months, but said this needed to be sustained.
Inspectors also said the force needed to focus on improving its priority response times, with less than 60 per cent of priority incidents attended within two hours.
The report said investigating crime remained “an enduring area for improvement”, with crimes not always recorded promptly and some investigations not allocated to officers with the right skills or training.
More positively, the force had improved how officers used stop and search powers. Inspectors found that 95.8 per cent of stop and searches reviewed had reasonable grounds recorded, compared with 80 per cent previously.
Inspectors also said the force worked effectively with partners through the multi-agency safeguarding hub and dealt with referrals promptly.
Staffordshire Police said it had already introduced changes to improve performance, with an additional 53 police officers and 15 members of police staff deployed to contact and control functions.
An enhanced desk-based investigation service is also intended to begin investigations earlier, so the force can contact victims sooner and keep frontline officers available for those who need an immediate or priority response.
Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs said
“We welcome this report and accept its findings. While it is encouraging that HMICFRS has recognised improvements we have made in safeguarding, prevention and problem-solving, we know we must improve the service we provide when members of the public contact us and ensure victims receive the service they deserve.
“We know that answering calls quickly and attending incidents promptly is fundamental to public confidence, and we are already taking action to improve in these areas.”
