The independent police watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has given Staffordshire Police a “good” rating following their annual inspection of police force efficiency. The inspection assesses how ‘efficient’ the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime.
Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker said: “Given the financial pressures that all forces have faced over recent years, it’s imperative that the public can trust that Staffordshire Police is spending public money on those issues that really matter. That’s why this independent assessment by our watchdog, which found us to be ‘good’, is welcome.”
HMIC recognised the force’s “…good understanding of both current and future demand…” which means that resources can be targeted effectively at where they are needed. It also referenced how Staffordshire Police is “…developing a better understanding of the less obvious demand on its resources”, including those issues that are unlikely to be reported directly to the police, such as child sexual exploitation. The report says: “It is a positive sign that the force is taking that extra step to be better prepared for such demands.”
The report acknowledges the force’s “…well-developed understanding of costs and how to improve the quality of service and outcomes”, and the investment that has been made in new technology, including mobile ‘smart’ devices for frontline officers, which is keeping officers in the community, rather than in stations, for longer.
Every police force in England & Wales is graded as part of the “PEEL” inspection, which assesses efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy. The grades that can be achieved are similar to the school Ofsted style of grading with ‘inadequate’, ‘requires improvement’, ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ available.
“The report highlights that we understand the changing nature of crime in the county”, said DCC Baker, “not least the challenges of sexual offences and violence, but also those crimes which may be ‘hidden’ from view – for instance child sexual exploitation, with HMIC recognising our commitment to tackling this horrific subject through initiatives like Operation Safenet. They also praise our early intervention, alongside our partners, to help ‘troubled’ families.
“HMIC highlighted our investment in technology – including the smart devices our officers are equipped with – which is helping to keep more police on our streets, rather than in stations. They also praise our cutting-edge work, with Staffordshire University, in digital forensics which is a growing area of work.
“HMIC recognised at the start of their inspection that the force’s plans were not fully developed. Four months on, these plans are now much more in-depth. Our partnership with Boeing, which is still in its first year, will – I believe – lead to Staffordshire becoming the most technologically advanced forces in the country, further improving our ability to tackle crime and prevent reoffending. Indeed, in their national report HMIC specifically highlighted our collaboration with Boeing as an ‘impressive project’.
“Given the continuing financial pressure faced by police forces, the transformation programme, of which the work with Boeing is centre-stage, will be essential to maintaining the excellent work of this force.”
HMIC undertake annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL). The inspection was undertaken in July 2016.
Their judgment is made against how efficient the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime: it is not an assessment of the overall efficiency of policing. In applying the categories, HMIC considers whether:
- the efficiency the force is achieving is good, or exceeds this standard sufficiently to be judged as outstanding;
- the efficiency of the force requires improvement, and/or there are some weaknesses; or
- the efficiency of the force is inadequate because it is considerably lower than expected.
A copy of the report can be found at the HMIC website at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/
