PCC Stephen Mold has informed the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Simon Edens, that he expects to see swift action to resolve the issues identified by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFRS) in the PEEL Effectiveness Report – published today – which identifies Northamptonshire Police as requiring improvement.
The report, which has been produced following an inspection in September 2017, has rated the county’s Force as requiring improvement in the areas of preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour, investigating crime and reducing re-offending, protecting vulnerable people and tackling serious and organised crime.
HMICFRS did however point towards ground work that has been undertaken to improve the Force’s Effectiveness rating and suggested that sustaining these improvements will lead to an improved future rating.
In summarising their findings, HMICFRS said:
- The Force has made considerable efforts to respond to previous HMICFRS recommendations, but some of the changes have yet to result in tangible improvements in the service to the public.
- Now that the building blocks for more effective policing have been put in place, the Force recognises that it needs to sustain its efforts in order to further improve the quality of services it provides to the public.
However, the report has indicated that improvements need to be made in the way Northamptonshire Police manages resources, allocates workloads and carries out preventative work
Responding to the report, Commissioner Mold praised the work of staff and officers within the Force – who HMICFRS recognised as having excessive workloads – for their continued hard work in preventing, investigating and tackling crime. The PCC also stressed that the Chief Constable and Chief Officer Team must act to resolve the operational issues identified in order to help those on the ground to make Northamptonshire safer.
Stephen Mold, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire, said:
“There is no doubt that on behalf of the public I am unhappy with the rating of ‘Requires Improvement’ from HMICFRS and I have discussed the report at length with the Chief Constable to ensure he is aware of my feelings around this.
“I have worked with the Chief Constable to provide the resources he has identified as being required to make Northamptonshire safer. I believe the foundations are in place but I am frustrated at the speed at which change is being implemented. I have made clear to the Chief Constable that we need to see the ongoing work delivered at a faster pace.
“The staff and officers of Northamptonshire Police are doing a fantastic job under challenging conditions, and I know that they go above and beyond the call of duty day in, day out to keep Northamptonshire safe. I continue to say thank you for their hard work on our behalf.
“I’m pleased that HMICFRS have acknowledged some change in the right direction, however I reiterate that this needs to be pro-actively continued by the Chief Constable and Chief Officer Team to ensure that the people of Northamptonshire receive a service to the standard they deserve. The Chief Constable has shared with me how he plans to improve the issues identified and I am content with these plans at present. I will continue to both work with the Chief Constable and hold him to account accordingly.
“Within my remit I remain focussed on building public confidence, knowing that we have plans in place to improve efficiency through better use of technology and more effective use of our buildings and estates, which will deliver significant change.”
