Kent 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?
This question was not inspected in 2017. The grade and findings from last year’s inspection still stand.
How effective is the force at investigating crime and reducing re-offending?
Kent Police is good at investigating crime and reducing re-offending. The force:
- attends incidents promptly;
- undertakes generally thorough investigations, leading to satisfactory outcomes for victims;
- provides crime victims with a good service and usually updates them frequently as investigations progress;
- continues to improve the way it reduces re-offending; and
- has introduced an effective process to better manage wanted people.
The force has introduced a new operating model, which it appears to be implementing well. It has moved a lot of officers into new, primarily investigative roles focused on vulnerable people.
The force is also testing a new approach which allows it to focus on investigating crimes that are more likely to result in a positive outcome for victims.
Areas for improvement
- The force should ensure that all investigations are completed to a consistently good standard and in a timely manner so that victims receive an appropriate level of service.
How effective is the force at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims?
Kent Police is good at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims. The force has a good understanding of the nature and scale of vulnerability in its area. Dealing with vulnerability is a well-established part of its daily activity. The force is:
- good at responding to vulnerable victims and investigating crimes committed against them;
- developing its understanding of why some victims do not support police action, so it can bring more offenders to justice;
- working well with partner agencies, such as local authorities, to support and safeguard victims; and
- improving its response to mental health demand, undertaking extensive work both internally and with partners to prepare for the future.
Officers can use mobile devices at the scene of an incident to refer victims to local advice and support services quickly and easily. However, we found that use of body-worn video cameras to gather evidence is mixed.
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:
- works constructively with French authorities to ensure an effective response to incidents related to the Eurotunnel;
- tests its skills in training exercises;
- carefully debriefs training exercises and major incidents to improve its response to national threats; and
- has developed a good understanding of the threat to the public from an armed attack.