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South Wales PEEL 2018

Effectiveness

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

Last updated 27/09/2019
Good

South Wales Police is good at preventing and investigating crime. Prevention is at the core of the force’s approach to reducing crime and keeping people safe.

The force recognises the importance of working closely with communities. Officers and staff understand the importance of treating people with fairness and respect. The force has a strong understanding of the threats facing its communities. It is good at protecting the public from harm.

The force is good at understanding and identifying vulnerability. Officers and staff are aware of the importance of identifying and handling vulnerability appropriately. Protecting vulnerable people is a clear priority for the force.

The force needs to improve the ways in which it provides ongoing support to vulnerable victims. It needs to find long-term solutions to the challenges it faces to effectively support victims of domestic abuse.

The force is effective in managing those offenders who are known to pose a risk to vulnerable people. It has achieved a positive reduction in the number of registered sex offenders awaiting assessment.

South Wales Police is good at investigating crime and tackling serious and organised crime. These questions were not subject to detailed inspection in 2018/19, and our judgment from the 2016 effectiveness inspection has been carried over.

Questions for Effectiveness

1

How effective is the force at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe?

Good

South Wales Police is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Prevention is at the core of the force’s approach to reducing crime and keeping people safe. Neighbourhood officers and staff have the resources and support they need to prevent crime. Neighbourhood teams are proactive in their communities, with a focus on preventing crime before it happens.

The force is good at protecting the public from harm. It has a strong understanding of the threats facing communities, and its proactive approach seeks to tackle the causes of crime. The force has good working relationships with a range of partner organisations.

We found good examples of problem solving and the use of preventative tactics as part of the daily work of local officers.

The force needs to make sure that it is co-ordinating and evaluating work to address neighbourhood problems as effectively as possible. It also needs to evaluate its prevention activity and share it routinely.

Areas for improvement

  • The force should evaluate and share effective practice routinely, both internally and with partner organisations, so that it can continually improve its approach to the prevention of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Detailed findings for question 1

3

How effective is the force at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims?

Good

South Wales Police is good at understanding and identifying vulnerability. It has a clear definition of vulnerability. Officers and staff discuss vulnerability daily. Protecting vulnerable people is a clear priority for the force.

Officers and staff receive training in how to identify hidden forms of vulnerability. Staff from the multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASH) show a good understanding of the challenges presented by hidden vulnerability.

Call handlers use the THRIVE model when risk assessing calls, and the force responds to incidents promptly when vulnerable victims are involved.

Staff in the mental health triage team have access to health records. This means they can support an effective response to victims.

The force needs to improve the ways in which it provides ongoing support to vulnerable victims. It also needs to put long-term measures in place to effectively support victims of domestic abuse.

The force makes good use of legal powers to protect victims of domestic abuse. It is effective in managing offenders who are known to pose a risk to vulnerable people. The force has achieved a positive reduction in the number of registered sex offenders awaiting assessment.

Areas for improvement

  • The force needs to ensure there is sufficient capacity and capability to promptly assess the ongoing risk for domestic abuse victims.
  • The force needs to act to ensure that the risk posed to other vulnerable persons impacted by domestic abuse is promptly identified and addressed.

Detailed findings for question 3

5

How effective are the force’s specialist capabilities?

Ungraded

We have previously inspected how well forces provide armed policing. This formed part of our 2016 and 2017 effectiveness inspections. Subsequent terrorist attacks in the UK and Europe have meant that the police service maintains a focus on armed capability in England and Wales.

It is not just terrorist attacks that place operational demands on armed officers. The threat can include the activity of organised crime groups or armed street gangs and all other crime involving guns. The Code of Practice on the Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons (PDF document) makes forces responsible for implementing national standards of armed policing. The code stipulates that a chief officer be designated to oversee these standards. This requires the chief officer to set out the firearms threat in an armed policing strategic threat and risk assessment (APSTRA). The chief officer must also set out clear rationales for the number of armed officers (armed capacity) and the level to which they are trained (armed capability).

Detailed findings for question 5