Nottinghamshire Police: return to default phase of monitoring

Letter information

From:
Roy Wilsher OBE QFSM
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services

To:
Steve Cooper
Temporary Chief Constable
Nottinghamshire Police

Cc:
Gary Godden
Police and Crime Commissioner

Sent on
22 May 2025

Nottinghamshire Police: return to default phase of monitoring

Thank you for the thorough presentation and discussion at the Policing Performance Oversight Group on Wednesday 21 May.

I am pleased to let you know that His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Sir Andy Cooke, has decided to return Nottinghamshire Police to our default phase of monitoring, which is known as Scan.

This decision is supported by the fact we have been able to close the force’s remaining causes of concern, which I cover in more detail below.

Background

In January 2024, as part of our police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) 2023–25 inspection of Nottinghamshire Police, we identified two accelerated causes of concern, which were that the force:

• needs to improve how it manages, supervises and carries out effective investigations, and make sure that victims get the support they need; and
• doesn’t have adequate processes, planning or governance arrangements in place to monitor performance effectively or identify areas where improvement is required.

On 11 March 2024, we moved Nottinghamshire Police to the Engage phase of our monitoring process. In this phase, we provide additional accountability and support to forces when there are causes of concern about their efficiency, effectiveness or legitimacy that appear to need closer scrutiny.

In our PEEL 2023–25 inspection report, published on 11 July, we also identified an additional cause of concern:

• The force needs to make sure that neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers aren’t diverted away from their main duties to deal with other areas of demand.

Accelerated cause of concern: investigating crime

In our PEEL 2023–25 inspection, we found that the force needed to improve how it manages, supervises and carries out effective investigations, and make sure that victims get the support they need.

We made the following recommendations, stating that the force should immediately:

• review how it manages crimes and make sure that supervisors understand how to use its crime management systems;
• review all crimes which appear to have inadequate supervision, to identify suspects and assess the level of risk to the public they pose;
• review all crimes where victims haven’t received a regular update to assess their needs; and
• allocate those crimes for investigation on the basis of seriousness and level of risk.

By 30 September 2024, the force should make sure:

• supervisors review investigations effectively to reduce delays and make sure that officers and staff pursue all reasonable investigative opportunities;
• it creates investigation plans where applicable;
• it uses outcome types appropriately, in accordance with force and national policies, which lead to satisfactory results for victims; and
• officers and staff carry out a victim needs assessment where appropriate.

I am pleased with the improvement in Nottinghamshire Police’s management of crime, including supervision of crime and oversight of performance. I am therefore able to close this cause of concern.

Accelerated cause of concern: leadership and force management

In our PEEL 2023–25 inspection, we found that the force didn’t have adequate processes, planning or governance arrangements in place to monitor performance effectively or identify areas where improvement is required.

We made the following recommendations, stating that, with immediate effect, the force should develop:

• its workforce plan to make sure it has effective processes in place and enough officers and staff to help it manage current and future demand.

By 30 September 2024, the force should make sure that:

• governance arrangements for programmes for change are effective and that project teams have the capacity to run change projects efficiently, such as the need to review its operating model; and
• senior leaders have access to accurate data and analysis to identify areas where performance needs to improve.

In April 2025, we closed this cause of concern. We found that the force had made much progress in governance and the use of data. The chief officer team was visible and accessible, and we found a positive culture and active participation in change throughout the workforce.

Cause of concern: preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, and reducing vulnerability

In our PEEL 2023–25 inspection, we found that the force needed to make sure that neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers weren’t diverted away from their main duties to deal with other areas of demand.

We made the following recommendations, stating that by 30 September 2024, Nottinghamshire Police should:

• make sure that it has a policy that sets out the minimum amount of time its neighbourhood officers and staff must spend in their local communities. This policy should explain the reasons why, and for how long, neighbourhood officers can be taken away from their main duties.
• make sure that it has a system to monitor the amount of time, and reasons why, officers are taken away from their main neighbourhood duties.

In April 2025, we closed this cause of concern. We found that the force had addressed the issue of neighbourhood officers and staff being unable to spend enough time working in their communities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am pleased that Nottinghamshire Police is continuing to make good progress. Sir Andy Cooke and I are satisfied that it has made enough progress to address concerns in respect of investigating crime, leadership and force management, and preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, and reducing vulnerability.

The force has therefore returned to Scan, our default phase of monitoring, with immediate effect. We will continue to monitor the force’s progress as part of our PEEL continuous assessment programme.

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Nottinghamshire Police: return to default phase of monitoring