Suffolk Constabulary does some things well but there are concerns about its response to public
Suffolk Constabulary needs to improve how it responds to the public and protects vulnerable victims, the police inspectorate has said.
Get the report
PEEL 2023–25: An inspection of Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary needs to improve how it responds to the public and protects vulnerable victims, the police inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Suffolk Constabulary’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the constabulary was good in three areas, adequate in three areas, requires improvement in two areas and inadequate in one area.
HMICFRS said the constabulary works well with communities – including those that are seldom-heard – to gather information to set and address local priorities. It also said the constabulary has improved its ability to achieve well-supervised, better-quality investigations.
However, the inspectorate said the constabulary needs to improve its response to the public, particularly the time it takes to answer emergency and non-emergency calls. It also said that Suffolk Constabulary must ensure processes are in place to safeguard victims effectively.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said:
“I am pleased with some aspects of the performance of Suffolk Constabulary in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service.
“However, there are areas in which it needs to improve. I have concerns about how the constabulary is responding to the public and have been in contact with the chief constable as I do not underestimate how much improvement is needed.
“The constabulary had a change in leadership in the six months leading up to our inspection, and it’s clear that the new team has a clear objective, focusing on workforce culture, behaviour and standards.
“I am pleased with the way the constabulary has responded to my concerns, and I will be monitoring progress closely.”
Get the report
PEEL 2023–25: An inspection of Suffolk Constabulary
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.
- More information about the new PEEL assessment framework 2023-2025 is available on our website.