North Yorkshire PEEL 2018

The force has made changes to the way it works to understand and adapt to the demands it faces and, overall, has made good progress since our 2017 inspection. Technology is being used to help officers to work more efficiently. They have mobile devices that let them stay in contact and work more effectively when responding to an incident. Support services are also changing through greater use of technology. The force has also taken steps to understand the skills its people will need to meet its current demand and is building those into its recruitment and training. It has clearly identified plans to fill these gaps and is working towards achieving them.

The Transform 2020 change programme aims to find significant savings that can be reinvested into policing priorities as well as developing much closer working with colleagues in the fire and rescue service. It is important that the force is clear about what can be achieved and that it makes sure that it reaps the full benefits from these changes.

As the force manages its priorities, the public’s voice is being heard. Tackling rural crime was given high priority, following a consultation that highlighted public concern. This improved the response to crime and incidents for rural communities.

However, as the force develops its plans to meet the demand it faces, it should consider what can be delivered with different levels of budget, so its services can be properly tailored to the particular demands of the community.

North Yorkshire Police needs to improve its preparations to meet policing challenges of the future. This should include planning to understand all policing activity, including crime, that it will face in the future and may need extra resources. And the force should make sure it can make the savings it needs to meet the funding gaps forecast for the coming years. Long-term strategic plans are needed to encourage the force to look beyond the next couple of years, so it can provide a service that meets the challenges of the next decade.

The police and crime plan sets out clear priorities for the force. And there is a plan to invest in these priorities and to reinforce frontline policing through recruiting additional officers and PCSOs.

Promotion processes have improved following staff feedback to the force. But North Yorkshire Police doesn’t yet have clear plans for talent management or creating a pool of talented officers who will become future leaders. It also needs to have plans for developing its senior leaders to be able to meet future needs.

The force understands that it must do more to attract recruits from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and is working to increase its diversity to better reflect the communities it serves. It also knows that it has potential skills gaps in some specialist areas, such as cyber crime, and is looking to build this expertise.

The force has financial plans in place to meet its priorities. But it needs to make sure that it plans more broadly to meet the predicted funding gap.