Leicestershire Police prevents crime well but needs to improve its service to the public

Leicestershire Police prioritises crime prevention but needs to improve how it responds to the public and investigates crime, the police inspectorate has said.

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PEEL 2023–2025: An inspection of Leicestershire Police

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Leicestershire Police’s performance across eight areas of policing. It found the force was ‘good’ in four areas, ‘adequate’ in two areas and ‘requires improvement’ in two areas.

HMICFRS said that the force prioritises preventing and deterring crime and is committed to problem-solving and evidence-based policing. Inspectors said that the force’s prevention directorate carries out an impressive range of activity, projects and functions which will lead to sustainable reductions in future demand on the force. There has also been a renewed focus on connecting with its communities at a neighbourhood policing level.

The inspectorate found that the force effectively pursues high-risk suspects and wanted persons to protect the public from harm. Inspectors also said that a daily force management meeting reviews all high-risk cases, and targeted interventions and arrests happen promptly.

However, HMICFRS found that the force doesn’t always respond to calls for service within its target timescales, and callers aren’t always updated if there are delays. Inspectors said that this could lead to a loss in public confidence.

The inspectorate also found that the number of crimes the force solves following investigation is too low. Inspectors said that the force needs to better understand the barriers to successfully bringing offenders to justice and achieve better outcomes for victims.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said:

“I am pleased with the performance of Leicestershire Police in keeping people safe and reducing crime. But to provide a consistently good service, it needs to improve in some areas.

“I am pleased that the force places a priority on preventing crime. The prevention directorate is an area of strength and innovation for the force, and with continued investment it should help to solve local problems and keep people safe.

“However, the force needs to improve its service for the public in some key areas, such as responding to the public and investigating crime to secure justice for victims and keep communities safe.

“Leicestershire Police, in common with many other forces, is facing financial challenges, but I am reassured by the plans that the force has in place to meet these ongoing pressures.

“I congratulate the officers and staff of Leicestershire Police for their efforts to keep the public safe and I will continue to monitor progress in the areas where the force needs to improve.”

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PEEL 2023–2025: An inspection of Leicestershire Police

Notes

  • For further information, please contact the HMICFRS Press Office on 0300 071 6781 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk.
  • In 2014, we introduced our police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspections, which assess the performance of all 43 police forces in England and Wales. Since then, we have been continuously adapting our approach.
  • We have continued our intelligence-led, continual assessment approach, rather than the annual PEEL inspections we used in previous years.
  • We have also changed our approach to graded judgments. We now assess forces against the characteristics of good performance, and we more clearly link our judgments to causes of concern and areas for improvement.
  • It isn’t possible to make direct comparisons between the grades awarded in this PEEL inspection and those from the previous cycle of PEEL inspections. This is because we have increased our focus on making sure forces are achieving appropriate outcomes for the public, and in some cases we have changed the aspects of policing we inspect.
  • Read more information about the new PEEL assessment framework 2023-2025.