Essex PEEL 2017
Effectiveness
How effective is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?
How effective is the force at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe?
Essex Police is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB), but could do more to share learning and good practice.
HMICFRS found several examples of the force providing a high-quality service aimed at preventing crime and ASB. The force has:
- a comprehensive crime prevention strategy; and
- a good understanding of its communities.
The force engages well with local communities. It is good at assessing threats and at gathering community intelligence, and uses intelligence profiles effectively. Officers make good use of the powers and tactics available to tackle crime and ASB, including disruption activity against local criminal groups.
Essex’s community safety hubs, where police and partners work side by side, are becoming very effective, allowing for long-term problem solving.
However, the force is still not actively managing and sharing good practice across its own workforce and partners, despite HMICFRS identifying this as an area for improvement in 2016.
Areas for improvement
- The force should evaluate and share effective practice routinely, both internally and with partners, to continually improve its approach to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour.
How effective is the force at investigating crime and reducing re-offending?
Essex Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending.
The force’s investigations are generally good. It continues to improve how it reduces re-offending, with several offender management schemes in place.
Investigations by specialist teams are of a consistently high standard and are effectively supervised. Elsewhere this is not always the case. The force should ensure that it provides training and support to all those carrying out and supervising investigations.
The force is establishing new fraud investigation teams. The progression of its response to fraud is well-developed and timely.
The force is trialling a triage system to identify less serious crimes that can be investigated over the phone. This has been used appropriately to meet demand.
Incidents are promptly attended, where appropriate. Officers make informed, risk-based decisions and take appropriate steps to identify and secure evidence. Investigations passed to other units are of a good standard. The force provides victims of crime with a good service and gives most victims regular updates on the investigation’s progress. Officers actively seek to keep victims engaged in investigations.
Areas for improvement
- The force should ensure that there is regular and active supervision of investigations to improve quality and progress.
- The force should ensure that it is fully compliant with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.
- The force should ensure that all those carrying out investigations are provided with appropriate training and support.
How effective is the force at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims?
Essex Police is good at protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims.
The force has made considerable efforts to improve its ability to protect vulnerable people, which is now a routine part of its daily activity. It is continually improving its understanding of vulnerability in Essex and takes proactive steps to uncover harm that might otherwise be hidden.
The force:
- is good at its initial response to incidents involving vulnerable people and at investigating crimes that involve vulnerable victims;
- responds extremely positively to mental health, undertaking extensive work in force and with partner organisations; and
- has worked hard to develop relationships with partner organisations which enable it to support vulnerable people and victims.
However, the force’s management of low-risk registered sex offenders is not in line with national guidelines. HMICFRS will revisit this area in future inspections.
The force should also review its use of domestic violence protection orders to ensure that it is making best use of these powers.
Areas for improvement
- The force should clarify the deployment and use of body-worn video cameras by officers attending incidents of domestic abuse.
- The force should review its use of domestic violence protection orders to ensure that it is making best use of these powers to safeguard victims of domestic abuse.
How effective is the force at tackling serious and organised crime?
This question was not inspected in 2017. The grade and findings from last year’s inspection still stand.
How effective are the force’s specialist capabilities?
National threats often require forces to work together, across force boundaries. These threats include terrorism, large-scale disorder and civil emergencies. We examined the capabilities in place to respond to these threats, in particular a firearms attack.
Most positively, the force:
- tests its skills in training exercises;
- takes lead responsibility in the region to mobilise large numbers of officers to major incidents or mass casualty disasters; and
- has developed a good understanding of the threat to the public from an armed attack.
It has been effective in leading an investigation into a cyber-attack on the NHS.