PEEL: police legitimacy 2017 – force press releases

HMICFRS judged that Avon and Somerset Constabulary:

• is ‘outstanding’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Avon and Somerset Constabulary

“Avon and Somerset Constabulary has been assessed as good in the legitimacy with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force is outstanding at treating the people it serves with fairness and respect. It consults with communities to understand expectations of the service they receive from the police, and uses a range of methods to seek feedback and challenge from the public and to promote accountability. The force actively monitors its use of coercive powers, including stop and search data; this information is shared with external advisory groups to explain the use of this tactic and seek feedback from community leaders.

“I was pleased to find that the force promotes an ethical culture and there is positive role modelling by leaders, as well as an ethical approach to decision making. The force’s innovative use of body-worn video footage to role model communication skills when dealing with the public effectively demonstrates the standards it requires of its workforce. The force is also is working to improve areas that affect workforce perceptions of fair and respectful treatment. There are some areas for improvement, however. For instance, I’d like to see the force improve how it investigates concerns, problems or complaints raised formally by officers or staff. The force already has plans in place to do this, which is encouraging.”

HMICFRS judged that Bedfordshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Bedfordshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:

“I am pleased to report that Bedfordshire Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Although this is the same as last year’s grade, there has been further improvement. The force is committed to ensuring its officers and staff treat the public with fairness and respect. Coercive powers such as stop and search are carefully monitored, for example.

“The force promotes an ethical culture and an ethical approach to decision making, with its leaders acting as positive role models. The force makes it easy for people to make a complaint, including offering additional support to those who need it. But the force does need to ensure that it complies with the national vetting policy by December 2018.

“The force is good at treating its workforce with fairness and respect. Leaders encourage feedback and challenge from their staff, mistakes are generally admitted and feedback provided. It takes care to look after the wellbeing of officers and staff. I would, however, like to see more done to help supervisors support their staff.”

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Cambridgeshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Cambridgeshire Constabulary has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force clearly understands the importance of treating the people it serves with fairness and respect. The force is developing its scrutiny of the use of force to ensure that it is fair. It recognises it needs effective internal scrutiny of use of force and body-worn video camera footage and is taking action to address these areas.

“The force also promotes an ethical culture and ensures that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. The Chief Constable and his top team, and leaders across the force act as positive role models and have an ethical approach to decision-making. The force recognises that it needs to ensure that it complies with national vetting standards, and is working on this.

“I am also pleased to report that Cambridgeshire Constabulary is good at treating its workforce with fairness and respect. The force encourages challenge and feedback and is proactive in the way that it identifies and resolves workforce concerns. It should be commended for its comprehensive and accessible wellbeing programme, and how it uses preventative measures to improve workforce wellbeing.”

HMICFRS judged that Cheshire Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Cheshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Cheshire Constabulary is judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The constabulary shows clear leadership through its published values and the workforce understands and uses these values in public encounters. It has many established methods of seeking external challenge and feedback from the public to influence how it operates, but could improve its work with its independent advisory group.

“The constabulary’s leadership maintain and develop the ethical culture within the constabulary. We found knowledge of ethical decision-making throughout the workforce. The constabulary has good systems for the public to make a complaint against the constabulary and complaints are investigated to a good standard, although some administrative procedures could be clarified.

“Cheshire Constabulary treats its workforce with fairness and respect. Its workforce can communicate with leaders and the leadership respond positively by making changes when possible, but it could further enhance its consultation processes.”

HMICFRS judged that City of London Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – City of London Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:

“City of London Police needs to improve how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This is a mixed picture: although the workforce has good communication skills, which include showing empathy and listening, some officers are not effectively recording grounds for stop and search. Also, the force is failing to supervise officers’ recording of these grounds properly.

“In general, the force needs to improve how it makes sure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. We have seen outstanding practice from the force’s leadership in building a strong base in ethical decision-making, as well as the ethical decision-making training that the entire workforce has received. But we have a concern with the unsatisfactory service that all parties involved in discrimination cases receive. This needs to improve to ensure a fair and effective process.

“Despite these areas for improvement, I am encouraged at how well the force treats its workforce with fairness and respect. Leaders actively seek feedback and challenge from the workforce, and make changes as a result. Although the force has yet to put its wellbeing strategy fully into practice, the support it offers to its workforce is good. It could, however, do more to understand the risks and threats to its personnel in this respect, and prioritise the services it provides accordingly.”

HMICFRS judged that Cleveland Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Cleveland Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Cleveland Police has been judged as requires improvement in the areas we inspected. Although there is some way to go, the force has made improvements since we inspected in 2016, particularly in how it treats all the people it serves with fairness and respect. The force ensures that its officers and staff understand the importance of treating people with fairness and respect and it communicates this importance clearly through its Everyone Matters programme.

“We were pleased to find that the force identifies, responds to and investigates allegations of discrimination adequately. Although we found that the force needs to improve the way it communicates generally with all potential and existing complainants.

“Cleveland Police prioritises workforce wellbeing and has a good understanding of the relevant threats and risks. An effective range of wellbeing support is available to officers and staff, although this is not recognised and accessed in all local areas.

“We were also pleased to see that the force has improved the fairness of its promotion processes, although more work needs to be done to improve the management and development of individual performance, and to identify and develop talent from across the workforce.”

HMICFRS judged that Cumbria Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Cumbria Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Cumbria Constabulary is judged to be good at legitimately keeping people safe and reducing crime. Leaders have ensured the workforce has a good understanding of what it means to treat people with fairness and respect; reinforced through appropriate training. Robust processes are in place for scrutiny of coercive powers such as stop and search: data is analysed to improve interactions with the public, though there is an opportunity to improve this further through better use of body-worn video cameras.

“The constabulary is also good at ensuring that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. Ethical decision making forms part of the force’s priorities and decisions are appropriately reviewed. Cumbria Constabulary’s approach to treating its workforce with fairness and respect is good. Leaders seek feedback about concerns and there is a strong emphasis on a positive line manager relationship.

“An improved interim performance review system now records information on staff progress, skills and development and the constabulary is seeking to further improve its identification of high potential officers and staff through a trial talent identification scheme”

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Derbyshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Derbyshire Constabulary has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. It has performed well across all the areas we looked at this year. The force continues to treat the people it serves with fairness and respect. This is a vitally important part of the force’s values, which is understood and demonstrated by the workforce. The force is also good at using innovative ways to communicate to make its services more accessible. I am particularly impressed with the way the force invites external scrutiny on how it operates, in order to indentify areas for improvement, and to further improve public trust.

“Although we looked at different areas this year, the force continues to work hard to ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. I am impressed with how the Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force act as role models and consider the ethical implications of their decisions. This encourages ethical decision making across the force.

“Derbyshire Constabulary also treats its workforce fairly and with respect. This is reflected in the good work it does around providing wellbeing support for its workforce. I am particular interested to see how the force’s new leadership framework produces leaders with diverse styles and backgrounds.”

HMICFRS found that Devon and Cornwall Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Devon and Cornwall Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Devon and Cornwall Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The importance of treating people with fairness and respect is reflected well in the Devon and Cornwall Police mission statement. It was also evident that there is a commitment to developing a strong ethical culture within the force. There are established and well-used processes by which the workforce can provide feedback and challenge to the force leadership which means that their concerns are identified and resolved.

“The force works hard to ensure that its officers and staff understand the need, and are trained, to provide a good service to the public. There are various internal and public scrutiny processes that monitor how officers and staff interact with the public, which work well. The force does need to continue improving the way it manages the oversight of how coercive powers are used. In particular, the force needs to maintain a strong focus on monitoring how its staff use and record their stop and search powers, and make use of body-worn video footage as it becomes more widely available.”

HMICFRS found that Dorset Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Dorset Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Dorset Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Officers and staff are trained to communicate effectively with the public and use their coercive powers fairly, but the force needs to improve the workforce’s understanding of unconscious bias. The force has various internal and external processes to scrutinise how officers and staff interact with the public. Generally these work well, but the force needs to improve how it works with the community to ensure effective independent scrutiny and challenge of its stop and search activity.

“The commitment to developing a strong ethical culture in the force is evident. Leaders at all levels promote the need to make ethical policing decisions, and accordingly officers and staff have a good understanding of how to make ethical decisions in the working environment. The force generally makes it easy for the public to make a complaint and the workforce is able to recognise, respond to and investigate discrimination well, although it needs to ensure that referrals to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) are made correctly.

“In general, the force needs to improve how it ensures its workforce is treated fairly and with respect. The force has many processes in place to engage with, and support, the workforce, but these are not always effective or valued. High workloads are evident across the force and it needs to consider the consequences this has on individual wellbeing. The force needs to improve some of its other people management processes as well, most notably individual performance assessment which is not as effective as it needs to be.”

HMICFRS judged that Durham Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Durham Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Durham Constabulary is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The leadership has developed a strong culture of treating its workforce fairly and with respect. Officers and staff in Durham Constabulary have a clear understanding of how to treat people with fairness and respect, including acting without bias and communicating effectively, although some officers and supervisors need to better understand what constitutes reasonable grounds for a stop and search.

“Durham Constabulary’s senior leaders act as ethical role models and promote a culture in which the ethical implications of policies and day-to-day decisions are considered in an open and non-punitive way. Complainants receive a consistently good service; the constabulary identifies and responds to discrimination appropriately, and investigations into allegations of discrimination are carried out to a high standard.

“Senior leaders actively encourage feedback and challenge from the workforce, and take action to identify and respond to workforce members’ concerns. Although supervisors have regular conversations with their officers and staff, individual performance is not always managed consistently across the organisation. I would like to see this improved.”

HMICFRS judged that Dyfed-Powys Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Dyfed-Powys Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Dyfed-Powys Police is judged to be good at how legitimately the force keeps people safe and reducing crime. HMICFRS is pleased to see that the force has acted on most of our previous recommendations for improvement. Its leaders have shown a real commitment to ensuring that the workforce understands the importance of treating the people it serves fairly and with respect. Officers and staff understand unconscious bias and use coercive powers well. Although the force has good arrangements in place to scrutinise its use of powers, and welcomes challenge to improve the way that it treats people, more must be done to ensure that its external scrutiny is truly representative of the communities it serves. The force also needs to improve its recording of stop and search information.

“Dyfed-Powys Police can demonstrate that it has an ethical culture, which helps the workforce to behave ethically and lawfully. The force is also good at identifying, responding to and investigating cases of discrimination. It is easy for members of the public to complain if they feel they have not received the level of service to which they are entitled. Although the force has failed to reduce the backlog of vetting cases identified by HMICFRS in 2016, we are satisfied the force’s plan to resolve this problem by 2019 is realistic and achievable. The force is actively promoting healthy lifestyles by providing support to those who need it. However, the force needs to do more to encourage black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation by recruiting, retaining and promoting officers and staff who are representative of the local population.”

HMICFRS judged that Essex Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Essex Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Essex Police has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime, performing well across all the areas we looked at. The force has clear values that emphasis the importance of treating the people it serves with fairness and respect. The force recognises the importance of inviting external scrutiny on how it operates, to help it further improve public trust.

“The force continues to work hard to ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. I am impressed that the Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force understand the importance of an ethical approach and act as good role models.

“Essex Police demonstrated that it understands the importance of also treating its workforce with fairness and respect. It encourages feedback from across the force, and communicates what action it is taking as a result . The force also has a well-established wellbeing programme that includes preventative measures that cover mental wellbeing. Leaders also have a good understanding of their wellbeing responsibilities.”

HMICFRS judged that Gloucestershire Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Gloucestershire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Gloucestershire Constabulary is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This represents a marked improvement on its Although the force has introduced some training, guidance and support for the workforce, it needs to complete its work in these areas to ensure that the workforce is fully effective in the future progress in most areas we looked at.

“Leaders in Gloucestershire Constabulary clearly understand the principle of procedural justice and have taken steps to improve the extent to which all officers and staff treat the public with fairness and respect. The force has a good understanding of the use of its stop and search powers and has introduced some training, guidance and support for the workforce. It now needs to complete its work in these areas to ensure that the workforce is fully effective in the future.

“Ethical decision-making is understood by the workforce, and we found that officers and staff had a good understanding of the force values The force has a structured governance process in place to manage misconduct problems and complaints. It has also made improvements in how it treats its workforce with fairness and respect, including sharing the results of staff surveys more widely and prioritising wellbeing. However, it could do more to ensure it identifies and develops staff with high potential.”

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Greater Manchester Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“This year we have not given Greater Manchester Police a graded judgment for how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This is because our inspection work was scheduled to take place immediately after the terrorist attack on Manchester Arena and, in consultation with GMP, we agreed not to carry out our in-force inspection at that time.

“However, we have sufficient evidence to comment on the legitimacy of the force. Police officers and staff in Greater Manchester Police understand the importance of treating the public fairly and with respect. Those we spoke with demonstrated good understanding of unconscious bias and recognised the importance of effective communication skills. Greater Manchester Police monitors the use of force and other coercive powers by its officers and staff, including stop and search, to assure itself that its workforce treats people with fairness and respect. Officers and staff we spoke with told us that, overall, senior leaders set, model and maintain ethical values. The force works hard to ensure it treats its workforce with fairness and respect. Senior leaders encourage the workforce to provide feedback and challenge, and members of the workforce seem comfortable to do so. Senior leaders identify and respond well to workforce concerns.”

HMICFRS found that Gwent Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Gwent Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Gwent Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force prioritises the ethical behaviour of the workforce and supervisors play an active role in ensuring that standards are maintained. To reinforce this, the force has put a programme in place to simulate incidents that test the ethical decision making of the individuals.

“I would like to see the leaders in Gwent Police improve their understanding of the importance of treating all the people they serve with fairness and respect. We found a lack of understanding of the skills of Gwent Police’s workforce and shortcomings in arrangements for external scrutiny. The force also needs to improve its monitoring of the use of coercive powers, as it currently cannot identify and respond effectively to individual and organisational concerns. These include uncertainty regarding the legal grounds necessary to stop and search members of the public.

“However, the force is good at providing information to the public about how to make a complaint, and at keeping complainants updated on the progress of their complaints. It also has effective knowledge and processes in place to identify, respond to and investigate allegations of discrimination. The force takes action in response to issues raised by its workforce, and has a well-established and effective health and wellbeing programme in place. The force is beginning to improve how it manages and develops the individual performance of its officers and staff.”

HMICFRS found that Hampshire Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Hampshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Hampshire Constabulary has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Officers and staff use their communication skills effectively in their interactions with the public, and the workforce evidently understands the importance of treating people fairly and with respect.

“The force understands the importance of inviting external scrutiny of how it uses coercive powers, including encouraging members of the public to provide feedback. The workforce demonstrated a good understanding of what constitutes a fair and respectful use of stop and search powers. The Chief Constable, her top team and leaders across the force are good role models and promote the force’s values, which helps to ensure the decision making by the workforce is both ethical and lawful.

“I am particularly impressed with the way the force has improved how it ensures it treats its workforce with fairness and respect. The force uses a number of ways to identify and resolve workforce concerns, and has a positive approach to workforce wellbeing and provides access to a wide range of wellbeing support.”

HMICFRS found that Hertfordshire Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Hertfordshire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Hertfordshire Constabulary has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. It has performed well across all the areas we looked at this year. The force is good at treating the people it serves with fairness and respect, and is committed to ensuring that its workforce has the skills it needs to treat people in this way.

“I am encouraged by the fact that the force is improving its internal scrutiny of its use of force. It also encourages challenge from external groups. I would like to see the force further improves its scrutiny of stop and search by reviewing body-worn video camera footage, and by asking young people in the community to provide their views on its use of this power. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force act as positive role models within the force, and encourage an ethical and lawful culture. This also supports officers and staff in having an ethical approach when making decisions. .

“Hertfordshire Constabulary is good at treating its workforce with fairness and respect. It provides a comprehensive and accessible wellbeing programme and uses preventative measures to improve workforce wellbeing. The officers and staff we spoke with were confident that their wellbeing is a priority for the force. This is very encouraging.”

HMICFRS judged that Humberside Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Humberside Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Humberside Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force has clear values and standards which emphasise the importance of treating people with fairness and respect, and these are understood by the workforce and communicated to the public.

“The force continues to develop its ethical decision-making processes; it provides its workforce with the skills and training they need to help them make ethical and fair decisions. A complaints process is available to the public and easy to find on the force website, but the force does not always provide complainants with regular and meaningful updates and does not always record these when it does so.

“I am pleased to report that HMICFRS has seen an improvement in the way Humberside Police treats its officers and staff with fairness and respect. The workforce now has more ways to provide feedback or challenge and to hear about action taken in response. The force leadership has continued its focus on improving workforce wellbeing by identifying wellbeing concerns and taking early action to respond to them.”

HMICFRS judged that Kent Police:

• is ‘outstanding’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘outstanding’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Kent Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am delighted with how Kent Police has performed in this inspection, again being judged as outstanding. It is the only force in England and Wales to achieve this top grade, which is an achievement they should be extremely proud of.

“The force uses coercive powers fairly and respectfully, and carries out research on disproportionate use in order to further improve. It invites external scrutiny and challenge, and these feed into lessons learned which are communicated well throughout the force. There is some work to do to ensure all supervisors know exactly what constitutes reasonable ground for stop and search, but I am confident the force will address this.

“The Chief Constable, his top team, and leaders across the force act as role models, and continue to demonstrate an extremely positive and ethical approach to policing. Officers and staff receive continuing advice and extensive training on ethical decision-making and have an excellent understanding of ethical policing.

“The force continues to treat its workforce with the utmost fairness and respect, again being judged as outstanding in this area. It also has an effective and sometimes innovative approach to improving workforce welfare, and is addressing disproportionality of its workforce by increasing recruitment from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

“Everyone in the force should be immensely proud of how it operates with fairness and respect, both to the people it serves and its workforce. Kent Police really are leading the charge in how to legitimately keep people safe and reduce crime, and should be the blueprint for other forces to follow.”

HMICFRS judged that Lancashire Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Lancashire Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Lancashire Constabulary is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Leaders provide the workforce with the knowledge and skills they need to treat the people they serve with fairness and respect.

The constabulary is good at ensuring that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. A well-established ethics panel provides scrutiny, advice and guidance to leaders on the ethical implications of their decisions. The constabulary provides clear information through various means to members of the public wishing to make a complaint through a range of sources.

“Senior leaders very actively promote the benefits of workforce wellbeing and have invested in improving the level of support available to the workforce. However, the level of awareness of wellbeing at lower management levels is inconsistent. The force has very good processes in place to engage with staff and to listen to concerns.”

HMICFRS judged that Leicestershire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Leicestershire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased with how Leicestershire Police has performed in this inspection, again being judged as good in how legitimately is keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force treats the public fairly and with respect, having worked hard to identify and understand the issues that have the greatest effect on public perceptions of fair and respectful treatment. The force uses internal and external scrutiny to improve how it treats people. It works well with the independent advisory group, which provides valuable, well-informed feedback, external oversight and challenge on a wide range of issues.

“The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force act as role models, and care about the workforce. The force considers ethics and values when it makes decisions that affect the whole workforce.

“The force recognises that there is disproportionality in the ethnic mix of its workforce and is supporting applications from under-represented minority groups. The force also makes excellent provision for the welfare and wellbeing of its workforce.”

HMICFRS judged that Lincolnshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Lincolnshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased with how Lincolnshire Police has performed in this inspection, again being judged as good in how legitimately is keeps people safe and reduces crime. It has performed well in most areas we looked at,.

“Lincolnshire Police demonstrates a strong commitment to improving how it treats the public with fairness and respect. The force also promotes an ethical culture. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force are good role models and have an ethical approach to decision-making. The force examines and investigates complaints well, including those in which potential discrimination has been identified. The force is encouraging communities that may be less likely to contact the police to provide feedback.

“The force is aware that it needs to needs to improve some aspects of the way it treats its workforce. Leaders have an adequate understanding of the workforce’s perceptions, but officers and staff do not always feel able to provide feedback and challenge. The force has a comprehensive and accessible wellbeing programme that includes preventative measures to improve workforce wellbeing, which is very encouraging. ”

HMICFRS judged that Merseyside Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Merseyside Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“As was the case in our 2016 inspection, Merseyside Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The workforce understands the importance of treating people fairly and with respect, including recognising unconscious bias, using effective communication skills and proportionate use of coercive powers. The force has effective monitoring of the use of force and stop and search.

“The force works hard to ensure that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. It has an easy-to-follow complaints process that is easy to access, and complainants receive consistently good service from the force. Well-trained and experienced investigators within the professional standards department identify and respond to allegations of discrimination and conduct good investigations, in line with IPCC guidelines. The force

“Merseyside Police is committed to treating its workforce with fairness and respect. The force encourages and responds positively to challenge and feedback, making changes where possible, or explaining why not. Staff wellbeing awareness – particularly regarding mental health – has improved and the force has invested in additional wellbeing resources.”

HMICFRS judged that the Metropolitan Police Service:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Metropolitan Police Service

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said:

“The Metropolitan Police Service is, in general, good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. For a large, complex police force this is a significant achievement. I was particularly impressed by the scrutiny of the force’s use of stop and search.

“The force is good at ensuring its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. Senior leaders regularly clarify, and reinforce understanding of, what behaviour is considered acceptable and unacceptable. They are also open to challenge about their decision making. The force has an good plan to get all vetting up to date, and has made clear progress against the other areas for improvement noted in our 2016 legitimacy report.

“There is still room for improvement, particularly in the way the Met treats its workforce. We did find some examples of good practice: it offers ways for staff to provide feedback, and has worked hard to identify any unfairness with its recruitment, promotion and misconduct processes. The force also continues to provide good wellbeing support to its workforce. But we found the workforce has surprisingly low levels of trust and confidence in its leaders, and morale appears to be at a three-year low. The force needs to identify why this is, and what it can do to address it.”

HMICFRS judged that Norfolk Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Norfolk Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Norfolk Constabulary is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. It has again performed well in the areas we looked at this year. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force act as positive role models and have an ethical approach to decision making. We identified a strong culture of ‘doing the right thing’ among the workforce, who receive the training they need to use their powers fairly and respectfully. The force monitors the use of its coercive powers and ensures any learning from this is used to improve workforce training. The force is good at encouraging external scrutiny on how it uses stop and search, through public meetings and an external scrutiny group and is introducing body-worn video cameras for frontline officers, which will enable further scrutiny.

“The force is good at ensuring that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully and its policies are based on the Code of Ethics.

“Norfolk Constabulary is good at treating its workforce with fairness and respect. The force encourages and listens to feedback from the workforce, and is proactive at responding to their concerns. The force continues to improve the range of wellbeing services it provides. It is making progress in increasing the diversity of its workforce so that it better reflects the communities it serves.”

HMICFRS judged that North Wales Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – North Wales Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“North Wales Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force has acted when notified of areas for improvement, and its leaders have demonstrated a real commitment to ensuring the workforce understands the importance of treating the people it serves with fairness and respect.

“North Wales Police has a good ethical culture. This is demonstrated by senior leaders, and officers and staff throughout the organisation, who take an ethical approach to decision making. Members of the public are able to complain easily when they feel that they have not received the service they expect from officers and staff in North Wales Police.

“There are structures in place which allow the workforce to contribute new ideas, challenge leaders and receive feedback. However, the force needs to do more to encourage black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation within its workforce. It also needs to ensure the new appraisal process is understood by everyone, that the process has a greater emphasis on individual development and organisational learning and that it is valued and trusted by the workforce.”

HMICFRS judged that North Yorkshire Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ understanding the demands for its services;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – North Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“North Yorkshire Police is judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“North Yorkshire Police continues to be good at ensuring that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. The force has clear and accessible information to make it easy for the public to make a complaint, and HMICFRS found that it keeps most complainants updated about the process of their complaint.

“The force works hard to ensure that it treats its officers and staff with fairness and respect. It seeks challenge from the workforce, and has a commitment to understanding and addressing workforce concerns, including grievances. It has also undertaken more consultation and action to improve workforce wellbeing since our last inspection, to better support its officers and staff.

“One area of concern is that the force does not have robust processes in place to scrutinise its use of stop and search powers. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed.”

HMICFRS judged that Northamptonshire Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Northamptonshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“Northamptonshire Police is judged to require improvement in some aspects of its legitimacy. It is performing well in some areas, however the force recognises that it has some work to do in others.

“I am reassured that the workforce understands the importance of treating people with fairness and respect. Information about training provided by the force in some areas was missing, and it would be helpful if the force could identify any possible gaps in the workforce’s understanding. Officers clearly understand how to use stop and search powers fairly and respectfully, and their thorough and accurate recording of the grounds for completing these searches is particularly impressive, and represents national good practice. The force does however need to improve how it identifies any potential unfairness should it arise.

“I am pleased to see that the force understands the importance of behaving ethically and lawfully, and has been judged to be good in this area. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force are very good role models, and the workforce understands the importance of ethical behaviour. The complaints system is easy for the public to access, although the force needs to make it easier for those who may have less confidence in the police to make a complaint.

“The force also requires improvement in some aspects of the way in which it treats its workforce with fairness and respect. This finding was exacerbated by the fact that at the time of our inspection the organisation was undergoing very significant change – which was creating uncertainty on the part of the workforce. We found a number of issues which are affecting the workforce, such as the high number of vacancies, some inconsistent line management and a lack of early action in responding to wellbeing concerns. I am confident that the force is taking steps to address these issues since our inspection.”

HMICFRS judged that Northumbria Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Northumbria Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“Northumbria Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Although this is in line with last year’s grade, I’m pleased to report that the force has made some significant improvements in a number of areas.

“There is strong commitment from the leaders within the force to treating people fairly, and the workforce has a clear understanding of how to do so. The force has a good complaints process for the public that is clear and easy to use. The information about complaints on the force’s website could be improved, however complainants receive a consistently high level of service from the force. Allegations of discrimination are investigated thoroughly and professionally.

“Northumbria Police also treats its workforce with fairness and respect. It consistently considers the wellbeing of its workforce, and runs a number of initiatives to help identify early signs of mental and physical health problems staff may be facing and providing the necessary support.”

HMICFRS judged that Nottinghamshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Nottinghamshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased with how Nottinghamshire Police has performed in this inspection, again being judged as good in how legitimately is keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Nottinghamshire Police ensures that all members of its workforce have the understanding they need to treat people fairly and with respect. Officers and staff are well informed on the use of coercive powers, such as stop and search and the use of force. The force also has a positive approach to encouraging external scrutiny, to help it improve.

“The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force are very good role models and ensure that members of the workforce behave ethically and lawfully. The force has established good external scrutiny of its activities by seeking advice from independent advisory groups. Overall, it investigates complaints well, including those that involve potential discrimination.

“Leaders have a good understanding of the workforce’s perceptions, but, officers and staff do not always feel able to challenge and offer feedback to senior managers. The force should be commended for having a comprehensive and accessible wellbeing programme, and for taking a preventative approach to improving the wellbeing of its workforce.”

HMICFRS judged that South Wales Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – South Wales Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“South Wales Police is judged to be good overall in respect of how legitimate it is at keeping people safe and reducing crime. HMICFRS is pleased to see that the force has acted on previous areas for improvement and that its leaders demonstrate a real commitment to ensuring the workforce understands the importance of treating the people it serves with fairness and respect.

“The force continues to demonstrate that it has a good ethical culture, with officers and staff throughout the organisation taking an ethical approach to decision making. The force provides open channels through which the public can complain, but needs to improve the extent to which complainants are kept informed of the progress of their complaint. South Wales Police provides its workforce with the skills needed to identify and investigate discrimination; however, the force needs to ensure that it refers cases to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) where appropriate, and that all investigations are carried out to a satisfactory level, including providing a satisfactory service to complainants.

“The force’s leaders are fully committed to the wellbeing of the workforce; the force is building on the excellent foundations that we noted last year, introducing new initiatives that actively promote healthy lifestyles and providing support to those who need it. However, the force needs to do more to encourage black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation across the workforce, and more to ensure that the new appraisal process is understood and valued by everyone.”

HMICFRS judged that South Yorkshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – South Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“I am pleased to report that South Yorkshire Police has improved the legitimacy with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Last year the force was judged as requiring improvement; this year it is judged to be good. This is to be commended.

“The force understands the importance of treating people with fairness and respect and continues to emphasise the standard of behaviour it expects from the workforce. The force seeks feedback from those who use its services and encourages external advisory groups to examine its work closely.

“The force provides the public with clear, useful and accessible information about how to make a complaint. It is good also at keeping complainants updated and it supplies them with the relevant statutory information and the findings once a complaint has been resolved. The force also identifies, responds to and investigates allegations of discrimination well.

“The force has some improvements to make to ensure it has processes in place to allow for the early identification of and support for staff wellbeing issues. The force responds well to concerns and grievances raised by staff.”

HMICFRS found that Staffordshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Staffordshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Staffordshire Police has been assessed as good in respect of the legitimacy with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Officers and staff receive training to ensure their interactions with the public are fair and respectful and the new chief constable has emphasised the importance of ethical behaviour. However some officers demonstrate only a limited understanding of certain coercive powers. Independent panels scrutinise a range of information on behalf of local communities, but the force does not routinely refer ethical decisions to these panels for external advice. Similarly, the force has an effective process for monitoring a range of stop and search data, but would benefit from disseminating any learning more widely throughout the organisation.

“HMICFRS found that published information relating to chief officers’ gifts and gratuities needs to be refreshed and updated more regularly, and only limited progress has been made in addressing the vetting backlog identified in 2016. Complaint investigators engage properly with complainants and apply Independent Police Complaints Commission guidelines consistently, resulting in a high-quality service. However, the force could do more to promote the complaints process, particularly to those who may have less trust and confidence in the police.

“Various established methods are used to secure feedback from the workforce and the force responds well, making tangible changes as a result. Building on the Workforce Wellbeing Charter award achieved in 2016, the force continues to provide a programme of innovative and well-considered wellbeing projects.”

HMICFRS found that Suffolk Constabulary:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Suffolk Constabulary

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased with how Suffolk Constabulary has performed in this inspection, again being judged as good in how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“The force continues to demonstrate that it treats the people it serves with fairness and respect. It monitors the use of its coercive powers and ensures any learning from this is used to improve workforce training. The force encourages external scrutiny to help it learn lessons and improve. It is introducing body-worn video cameras for frontline officers, which will enable further scrutiny and identify opportunities to improve.

“The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force understand the importance of an ethical approach, and act as very good role models. The force is good at ensuring its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully and its policies are based on the Code of Ethics. The force reviews all public complaints and internal misconduct investigations to ensure it learns from its mistakes, and has effective external scrutiny through public meetings and independent advisory groups.

“I am encouraged by the way the force works to ensure its workforce is treated with fairness and respect. Officers and staff told us that there is a positive organisational culture in which leaders are receptive to feedback and the workforce are encouraged and feel confident in expressing their views. The force is to be commended for continuing to improve the range of workforce wellbeing services it provides, and is making progress in increasing the diversity of its workforce.”

HMICFRS found that Surrey Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Surrey Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased that Surrey Police has again been judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

Surrey Police and its workforce have a good understanding of the importance of treating people fairly and with respect. Officers and staff understand the importance of effective communication skills and how to use coercive powers fairly and respectfully.

““The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force are good role models. They promote an ethical culture and ensure that the workforce behaves ethically and lawfully, with a strong focus on the Code of Ethics. Surrey Police has made it easier for the public to make a complaint, and has publicised the complaints process in communities which might have less confidence in the police.

“The force could make improvements in some areas. At the time of our inspection high workloads were a concern, and staff and officer wellbeing could be better addressed by improving access to support services, and by publicising the help that is available. I am confident that the force recognises where improvements can be made and is taking steps to address this issue. ”

HMICFRS found that Sussex Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Sussex Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased to report that Sussex Police has again been judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Sussex Police and its workforce are good at treating people with fairness and respect. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force are good role models, promote an ethical culture and ensure that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. The workforce understand the importance of using their coercive powers fairly and respectfully, and the Code of Ethics is understood throughout the force. The force recognise that it should make sure all officers and supervisors understand what constitutes reasonable grounds for stop and search.”

HMICFRS found that Thames Valley Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Thames Valley Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said:

“I am pleased to report that Thames Valley Police has again been judged as good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime, performing well across all the areas we looked at.

“The force is good at ensuring its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. The Chief Constable, his top team and leaders across the force act as positive role models and work hard to ensure their workforce behave ethically and lawfully. All members of the workforce receive training in ethical decision-making.

“Officers and staff understand the importance of treating the people they serve with fairness and respect. This is underpinned by good training, and informed by a proactive approach to learning lesson, based on feedback from independent advisory groups.

“The force investigates most complaints well and provides complainants with clear information, but it could improve the timeliness of its updates. It is good at identifying discrimination and investigates these complaints well.

“The force seeks feedback and challenge from its workforce, and has a good understanding of its concerns and issues. It is creating a new diversity plan to address disproportionality in its workforce, particularly to attract more candidates from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background. The force has a very good understanding of workforce wellbeing and provides a wide range of wellbeing and support services.”

HMICFRS found that Warwickshire Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Warwickshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Warwickshire Police is judged as requiring improvement in how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This compares with our inspection last year when it was judged as ‘good’. The force is embarking on a significant and ambitious programme of change, which has hampered progress in some respects and needs to improve across many areas that we looked at.

“Although leaders clearly demonstrate that they understand and value the benefits of procedural justice, they need to provide the workforce with training so that the force consistently acts fairly, treats people with respect and communicates effectively. The force scrutinises its use of stop and search powers well, but must improve its understanding of how its officers and staff use force. Reassuringly, the force encourages external scrutiny from different groups and acts on their feedback, although it would benefit from involving young people more.

“Despite the force’s efforts to ensure that its workforce makes decisions that are ethical, it still has work to do to improve in this area. It needs to improve its handling of complaints and misconduct cases, including how it supports and communicates with complainants, witnesses and those subject to investigation.

“The force also had more to do to ensure it treats its workforce with fairness and respect. Although it understands the importance of addressing potential disproportionality in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers and staff with protected characteristics (such as age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality), it does not monitor disproportionality in their treatment if they are subjected to complaint or misconduct investigations. Positively, leaders demonstrate a growing commitment to health and wellbeing, particularly support for mental health, and this is recognised by the workforce. The force is also working to improve how it manages and develops individual performance. I am encouraged by the commitment of the force’s leaders to make progress, as evidenced by their progressive plans for the future, which are already beginning to show positive results.”

HMICFRS found that West Mercia Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• ‘requires improvement’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – West Mercia Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“West Mercia Police is judged as requiring improvement in how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This compares with our inspection last year when it was judged as ‘good’. The force is embarking on a significant and ambitious programme of change, which has hampered progress in some respects and needs to improve across many areas that we looked at.

“Although leaders clearly demonstrate that they understand and value the benefits of procedural justice, they need to provide the workforce with training so that the force consistently acts fairly, treats people with respect and communicates effectively. The force scrutinises its use of stop and search powers well, but must improve its understanding of how its officers and staff use force. Reassuringly, the force encourages external scrutiny from different groups and acts on their feedback, although it would benefit from involving young people more.

“Despite the force’s efforts to ensure that its workforce makes decisions that are ethical, it still has work to do to improve in this area. It needs to improve its handling of complaints and misconduct cases, including how it supports and communicates with complainants, witnesses and those subject to investigation.

“The force also had more to do to ensure it treats its workforce with fairness and respect. Although it understands the importance of addressing potential disproportionality in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers and staff with protected characteristics (such as age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality), it does not monitor disproportionality in their treatment if they are subjected to complaint or misconduct investigations. Positively, leaders demonstrate a growing commitment to health and wellbeing, particularly support for mental health, and this is recognised by the workforce. The force is also working to improve how it manages and develops individual performance. I am encouraged by the commitment of the force’s leaders to make progress, as evidenced by their progressive plans for the future, which are already beginning to show positive results.”

HMICFRS found that West Midlands Police:

• ‘requires improvement’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• ‘requires improvement’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – West Midlands Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“West Midlands Police is judged as requiring improvement in how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This is compares with our assessment last year when the force was judged to be good. Although we found examples of established practices and some recently introduced developments that were promising, there are areas where the force needs to make improvements.

“The force is performing well in some areas, such as ensuring it treats the people it serves with fairness and respect. The force monitors use of stop and search well, with effective scrutiny processes in place both internally and externally. Chief officers are good role models and they encourage the workforce to challenge their decision making. Although standards of complaints investigation are generally good, the force has an inconsistent approach towards its complainants and in referring appropriate cases to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

“The force needs to improve how it ensures its workforce is treated fairly and with respect. Health and wellbeing provision for the workforce has been improved, but some supervisors lack knowledge and understanding of the support services that are available. The force has ambitious plans to overhaul its leadership development and individual performance development arrangements, which should provide significant benefits in future.”

HMICFRS judged that West Yorkshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – West Yorkshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said:

“West Yorkshire Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force’s values are underpinned by the College of Policing Code of Ethics, which is embedded in force policy, procedure and training. The force has a good approach to stop and search and use of force, with an effective training package, scrutiny and governance of the use of these powers.

“The force strives to make sure that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. Senior leaders regularly refer their decisions to both internal and external ethics committees that provide robust oversight and critical feedback. The force is doing positive work to make the complaints process accessible and easy for the public to use, and it generally provides timely and meaningful updates to complainants on the progress of their case.

“The force recognises the importance of staff wellbeing, and is continuing to develop a comprehensive approach to understanding staff wellbeing. A clear strategy for wellbeing is in place, supported by organisation-wide, district and departmental plans.”

HMICFRS found that Wiltshire Police:

• is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect;
• is ‘good’ at how it ensure its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully; and
• is ‘good’ at treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2017 – Wiltshire Police

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“Wiltshire Police is judged to be good at how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime.

“Wiltshire Police is committed to the principle that the behaviour of its workforce has a profound effect on community perceptions of fairness and respect. Improving communication skills forms an important part of training courses and it is clear that that this is having a positive effect on interactions with the public. However, the force needs to do more to ensure frontline officers and staff have an understanding of unconscious bias.

“Ethical standards are a high priority in the force and the members of the chief officer team are good role models of these standards. The force has a number of programmes to build on the progress it has made, including the involvement of over 100 frontline officers and staff in developing an ethics and culture board chaired by a leading academic. The force is good at keeping complainants updated and it generally identifies, responds to and investigates allegations of discrimination well, in line with Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) guidelines.

“The force has new initiatives to support workforce wellbeing and resolve workforce concerns, including a strong commitment to address workforce disproportionality. The force has effective ways for senior leaders to seek feedback and challenge from the workforce, and it has effective methods for identifying and resolving workforce concerns. It is evident that the workforce has responded positively to the open and dynamic approach of its leaders.”