Leicestershire 2018/19

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PEEL: Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy 2018/19 – Leicestershire Police

Zoë Billingham, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary

HMI's observations

I am pleased with Leicestershire Police’s performance in keeping people safe and reducing crime.

Since our last inspection the force has improved how it handles victims’ reports of crime. It now receives and investigates these better. It has also improved the services and support it gives vulnerable people. The force has very good skills and technology to tackle cyber-crime.

I remain concerned about the force’s performance in recording crime. Although it has improved since our last inspection, it has much more to do.

The complexity and scale of current and future demand is well understood by senior leaders. The force has worked to operate more efficiently. This includes reorganising officers to better meet demand. It has sustainable financial plans in place. These include increasing its officers.

I am pleased to see that the force is consulting widely with its communities to better understand their concerns. Senior leaders support the workforce. They encourage a culture of continuous learning and ethical behaviour.

Overall I commend Leicestershire Police for sustaining its positive performance over the past year. I am confident that it is well-equipped for this to continue.

Leicestershire Police is good at reducing crime and keeping people safe.

In 2016, we judged the force to be good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour.

The force is good at investigating crime. Investigations are handled by appropriately-trained staff, and the case files we saw were of a high standard. There is a new crime bureau for cases with few lines of investigation, which has taken pressure off other investigators. The force offers a good service to victims and prioritises their needs.

Leicestershire Police is also good at protecting vulnerable people. It has strong relationships with other organisations working with those in need and a well-established training programme. The force is currently dealing with more crimes, and receiving more referrals linked to vulnerability, than it ever has before, but it is taking measures to deal with this demand.

In 2017, we judged the force to be good at tackling serious and organised crime.

View the five questions for effectiveness

Leicestershire Police is good in the efficient way it operates and provides sustainable services to the public.

Senior leaders understand demand, and the force has improved its knowledge of previously under-reported crimes, such as modern slavery and human trafficking. It has also improved how it allocates incidents to neighbourhood teams.

A major re-organisation in 2017 improved the force’s efficiency. The force has also invested in technology to improve its efficiency.

It does not, however, have a comprehensive understanding of the skills and capabilities of all its workforce.

The force plans well for the future. The ambitious BluePrint 2025 change programme aims to increase efficiency.

The work of new specialist teams will continue to improve the force’s understanding of hidden crime. It plans to invest in mobile technology, and increase the presence of officers in neighbourhoods.

However, the force has made little improvement in developing and managing talent in its workforce.

View the two questions for efficiency

Leicestershire Police is good in the way it treats the public and its workforce.

In 2017, we judged the force to be good at treating the public fairly.

Leicestershire Police has a positive ethical culture. The workforce knows how to challenge unethical conduct.

The force has made good progress in improving its vetting procedures. It is good at tackling corruption, and it works with specialists from other organisations to look for signs of officers or staff abusing their positions for a sexual purpose.

In 2017, we judged the force to be good at treating its workforce fairly.

View the three questions for legitimacy

In addition to the three core PEEL pillars, HMICFRS carries out inspections of a wide range of policing activity throughout the year. Some of these are conducted alongside the PEEL inspections; others are joint inspections.

Findings from these inspections are published separately to the main PEEL reports, but are taken into account when producing the rounded assessment of each force's performance.

Leicestershire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published 10 May 2018

Leicestershire Police: Crime Data Integrity re-inspection 2018 – published 15 January 2019

View other reports

Key facts – 2019/20

Force Area

985 square miles

Population

1.11m people

10% local 10 yr change

Workforce

94% frontline police officers

92% national level

3.43 per 1000 population

3.69 national level

6% 10yr change in local workforce

5% 10yr national change

Victim-based crimes

0.06 per person

0.06 national level

23% Local 5 year trend

9% National 5 year trend

Cost

50p per person per day local

59p per person per day national

Leicestershire 2018/19

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HMI's observations

Effectiveness

How effectively does the force reduce crime and keep people safe?

Efficiency

How efficiently does the force operate and how sustainable are its services to the public?

Legitimacy

How legitimately does the force treat the public and its workforce?

Other inspections

How well has the force performed in our other inspections?

Other reports