Overall summary
Our judgments
Our inspection assessed how good Hertfordshire Constabulary is in ten areas of policing. We make graded judgments in nine of these ten as follows:
We also inspected how effective a service Hertfordshire Constabulary gives to victims of crime. We don’t make a graded judgment for this area.
We set out our detailed findings about things the constabulary is doing well and where the constabulary should improve in the rest of this report.
We also assess the constabulary’s performance in a range of other areas and we report on these separately. We make graded judgments for some of these areas.
PEEL 2023–2025
In 2014, we introduced our police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy (PEEL) inspections, which assess the performance of all 43 police forces in England and Wales. Since then, we have been continuously adapting our approach.
We have moved to a more intelligence-led, continual assessment approach, rather than the annual PEEL inspections we used in previous years. Forces are assessed against the characteristics of good performance, set out in the PEEL Assessment Framework 2023–2025, and we more clearly link our judgments to causes of concern and areas for improvement.
It isn’t possible to make direct comparisons between the grades awarded in this PEEL inspection and those from the previous cycle of PEEL inspections. This is because we have increased our focus on making sure forces are achieving appropriate outcomes for the public, and in some cases we have changed the aspects of policing we inspect.
Terminology in this report
Our reports contain references to, among other things, ‘national’ definitions, priorities, policies, systems, responsibilities and processes.
In some instances, ‘national’ means applying to England or Wales, or England and Wales. In others, it means applying to England, Wales and Scotland, or the whole of the United Kingdom.
HM Inspector’s summary
I have concerns about the performance of Hertfordshire Constabulary in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. I have serious concerns about crime data integrity. In view of these findings, I have been in contact with the chief constable, as I don’t underestimate how much improvement is needed.
Hertfordshire Constabulary is good at preventing crime. Since our last inspection, and for the first time in at least ten years, it has reviewed its structure and processes. The review resulted in little change. But some elements of the operating model don’t provide an efficient and effective service. At the time of our inspection, the constabulary was doing more detailed work in relation to its safeguarding specialisms. This has delayed its ability to understand what changes it could make to safeguard its communities.
I have some concerns about how the constabulary investigates crime. I am concerned that it doesn’t always investigate crime thoroughly. And I am concerned that not all victims get the support they need and the most appropriate outcomes. I will continue to monitor performance in this area and consider any impact of improvements the constabulary makes to its crime recording.
In most cases, the constabulary records reasonable grounds for using stop and search. This is a significant improvement from when we last inspected. However, it needs to make sure its officers understand and record reasonable grounds for using force.
The constabulary continues to pursue its prevention first strategy. We found innovative examples of early intervention and diversionary activity. This diverts young people away from crime and reduces the harm caused by some offenders. But the constabulary needs to improve some areas, including its analysis and assessment of problem-solving.
The constabulary’s control room still has challenges in responding to the public. The constabulary isn’t answering 999 calls within the timescales set by national call handling standards. And it isn’t attending non-emergency calls within set times. But senior leaders have insight into performance data and are already addressing these issues.
The constabulary also needs to make sure that it operates effectively across all teams. Senior leaders need to get better at communicating with and listening to the workforce. This includes clear messaging about the reasons for their strategic decisions. They should consider any interdependencies in their strategic decisions, policies and processes to avoid negative consequences.
The constabulary needs to make effective use of its data systems in managing performance and workloads. This was particularly an issue in the safeguarding command. There were risks that senior leaders didn’t fully understand or know about. We alerted the constabulary to this problem during our inspection. Since then, the constabulary has started to address our concerns. I will continue to monitor how Hertfordshire Constabulary performs in this important area that keeps people safe from harm.
Roy Wilsher
HM Inspector of Constabulary
Leadership
Using the College of Policing leadership standards as a framework, in this section we set out the most important findings relating to the constabulary’s leadership at all levels.
Hertfordshire Constabulary needs to improve the way it operates and uses its data to help it respond to priorities and current and future demand.
Operating processes in some areas of policing are ineffective. And there is a lack of understanding of interdependencies of processes and procedures when making changes. This has led to some negative consequences.
At the time of our inspection, the constabulary wasn’t making the most of the technology it has available. It was relying too much on manual processes to manage performance and demand. So senior leaders have been unaware of some risks within the organisation.
The constabulary is innovative in its approach to the recruitment of data scientists. It welcomes the skills, insight and different perspective that can challenge an existing mindset.
Senior leaders are committed to the prevention first strategy. They work hard to provide a service to the public and keep communities safe in Hertfordshire. But the constabulary needs to do more to support first-line leaders and balance operational need with supporting the welfare of officers and staff.
Chief officers are aware of the challenges in making sure that they effectively communicate strategic decisions and changes to processes to all parts of the organisation. And while the constabulary encourages feedback, the perspective of the workforce is that they aren’t always listened to. The failing in these areas is affecting morale and performance.
The constabulary has shown continued good value for money principles in its long-established collaborations with several neighbouring forces. It has a detailed medium-term financial plan and a sensible general reserve. This provides the opportunity for the constabulary to meet future demand and challenges.
More detail on Hertfordshire Constabulary‘s leadership is included in the main body of the report.
Providing a service to the victims of crime
Victim service assessment
This section describes our assessment of the service Hertfordshire Constabulary provides to victims. This is from the point of reporting a crime and throughout the investigation. As part of this assessment, we reviewed 100 case files.
When the police close a case of a reported crime, they assign it an ‘outcome type’. This describes the reason for closing it.
We selected 100 cases to review, including at least 20 that the constabulary had closed with the following outcome:
When the crime had been investigated, no suspect had been identified and the investigation was closed.
Although our victim service assessment is ungraded, it influences graded judgments in the other areas we have inspected.
The constabulary needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency and non-emergency calls
The constabulary needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency calls. It also needs to reduce the number of non-emergency calls where the caller hangs up before a call handler answers it.
Call handlers always use a structured process that assesses threat, harm, risk and vulnerability. And call handlers always identify repeat victims. This means that they are aware of the victim’s circumstances when considering what action the constabulary should take. While call handlers are generally polite, some calls were unnecessarily long.
On most occasions, the constabulary responds promptly to calls for service
On most occasions, the constabulary responds to calls for service appropriately. But sometimes it doesn’t always respond within set timescales. It doesn’t always inform victims of delays. So victims’ expectations aren’t always met. This may cause victims to lose confidence and disengage from the process.
The constabulary’s crime-recording is of an inadequate standard when it comes to making sure victims receive an appropriate level of service
The constabulary needs to improve its crime-recording processes. It needs to make sure it records all crimes correctly and promptly.
We set out more details about the constabulary’s crime recording in ‘Recording data about crime’.
The constabulary doesn’t always investigate crimes effectively
In most cases, the constabulary investigates crimes in a timely way. But it doesn’t always complete relevant and proportionate lines of enquiry. The constabulary doesn’t always supervise investigations well. Nor does it always keep victims regularly updated. Victims are more likely to have confidence in a police investigation when they receive regular updates.
A thorough investigation increases the likelihood of perpetrators being identified and arrested, providing a positive result for the victim. In most cases, the officers and staff took personal statements from victims. These give victims the opportunity to describe how that crime has affected their lives.
When victims withdraw support for an investigation, the constabulary considers progressing the case without the victim’s support. This can be an important way of safeguarding the victim and preventing further offences from being committed. However, the constabulary doesn’t always record whether it considers using orders designed to protect victims, such as a Domestic Violence Protection Notice or Domestic Violence Protection Order.
The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime requires forces to carry out a needs assessment at an early stage to determine whether victims need additional support. The constabulary doesn’t always carry out these assessments. Nor does it record all requests for additional support.
The constabulary mostly assigns the right outcome type to an investigation and considers victims’ wishes
While the constabulary needs to improve the standard of its investigations to make sure it takes all investigative opportunities, it generally closes crimes with the correct outcome code. It records a clear rationale for using a certain outcome, but this isn’t always effectively supervised. It asks victims for their views when deciding which outcome type to assign to a closed investigation. When appropriate, the constabulary can provide an auditable record of victims’ wishes. This helps the constabulary understand the reasons why victims no longer support police action. The constabulary always informs victims of what outcome code it has assigned to the investigation.
Recording data about crime
Hertfordshire Constabulary is inadequate at recording crime.
The Home Office Counting Rules, which provide the standard for crime recording in England and Wales, have changed since the last time we inspected the constabulary for crime data integrity.
This change mainly relates to the way forces record violent crime. This means we can no longer compare the findings from this audit to those from previous audits.
We estimate that Hertfordshire Constabulary is recording 82.6 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 3.4 percent) of all reported crime (excluding fraud).
We estimate that the constabulary is recording 89.8 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 5.5 percent) of sexual offences.
We estimate that the constabulary is recording 75.7 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 6.2 percent) of violent offences.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to crime data integrity.
The constabulary records crimes against vulnerable victims effectively
While we graded the constabulary overall as inadequate at recording crime, it records crimes against some vulnerable victims well. We examined 67 records involving vulnerable adults and child protection cases and found that 23 crimes should have been recorded and 22 were recorded correctly. Recording crimes committed against the most vulnerable people in society is particularly important.
Inadequate
Police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully
Hertfordshire Constabulary is adequate at using police powers and treating people fairly and respectfully.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to police powers and treating people fairly and respectfully.
Officers understand and use stop and search powers fairly and appropriately
During our inspection, we reviewed a sample of 226 stop and search records from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024. Based on this sample, we estimate that 94.2 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 3.0 percentage points) of all stop and searches carried out by the constabulary during this period had reasonable grounds. This is a statistically significant improvement compared to the findings from our previous review of records from 1 January to 31 December 2021, where we found that 80.8 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 5.7 percentage points) of stop and searches carried out by Hertfordshire Constabulary had reasonable grounds.
The constabulary also has an average rate of linked outcomes for stop and searches. A linked outcome is when officers find a stolen or prohibited item they were looking for in the search. In the year ending 31 March 2023, 26.7 percent of stop and searches in Hertfordshire had linked outcomes. This is in line with the average for forces in England and Wales, which is 24.6 percent.
This suggests that Hertfordshire Constabulary officers are suitably trained and that they use stop and search powers effectively.
The constabulary is working to better understand its disproportionality in its use of stop and search
In the year ending 31 March 2023, the constabulary carried out 6,887 stop and searches. This is 5.5 stop and searches per 1,000 population, which is in line with other forces in England and Wales. During this period, based on population data from the 2021 Census, Black or Black British people were 3.4 times more likely than White people to be stopped and searched by Hertfordshire Constabulary, compared to 4.1 times more likely across England and Wales.
Of the records we reviewed for stop and search of people who self-identified as from an ethnic minority background, 65 out of 68 had reasonable grounds. However, we found that self-defined ethnicity was missing in 16 percent of the cases we audited. Any increase in recording of self-defined ethnicity could help the constabulary to better understand its disproportionality.
Hertfordshire Constabulary analyses its use of stop and search and has worked with the University of Hertfordshire to better understand its disproportionality. We were told that the constabulary’s race inclusion board have discussed the findings. We will be interested to learn how this changes the constabulary’s approach to use of this police power to improve trust and confidence.
The constabulary has processes to monitor and scrutinise stop and search
Supervisors are expected to review all stop and search records submitted by officers on their teams, and dip sample five body-worn video (BWV) records a month. These reviews consider how the search is made, the written grounds for the search and how the officer communicates with the person stopped.
Officers we spoke to were aware of this process and many had received feedback directly from their supervisors. This included both positive feedback and areas for improvement. For example, they were asked to provide more detail, or got support to improve their knowledge of this police power. We were told of one example where the officer had attended the constabulary’s external scrutiny panel to expand their knowledge and understanding. In general, officers and supervisors view scrutiny of stop and search as a supportive process.
Supervisors were aware of their responsibilities for reviewing stop and search and BWV. They were confident in giving feedback to officers and escalating concerns to the professional standards department or officer safety training team. However, some did tell us that because of high workloads there could be delays in reviewing submissions or they are rushed.
The constabulary invites external challenge through independent stop and search and use of force scrutiny panels
The constabulary has an effective police powers board that has access to data and scrutinises stop and search, and use of force. This includes representation and insight from each of its external scrutiny panels. These are for stop and search, use of force and BWV. In the meeting we observed, representatives were confident to challenge and speak out. We were told the panels have a voice and the constabulary listens and responds to feedback.
These panels meet bi-monthly at external venues and have an independent chair. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner administers them. It also provides force data and context around the cases under scrutiny and around constabulary processes. The panels are proactive in identifying thematic areas to review based on data. For example, one panel we observed focused on where officers had used force but the individual hadn’t been arrested.
In the panels we observed there was a good level of attendance from community members and they evaluated a relatively high number of cases. Data provided by the constabulary suggests that each panel reviews approximately 30–40 cases. This gives the constabulary opportunities to gain valuable insight across a relatively high proportion of cases.
Officers also attend to observe the panels and provide context from their experience. We were also told that members of the officer safety training team attend the panels. And in the panel we observed, representatives from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Black and Asian police associations were also present.
It was encouraging to learn that officers we spoke to were aware of the panels, have received feedback from them and generally see them as positive and supportive.
While these are undoubtedly effective processes, giving valuable insight and challenge when required, we did notice a lack of diversity. The panels should represent the constabulary’s communities by including representation from, for example, people from ethnic minority groups, and young people. The constabulary is aware of this and has approached a local education establishment to set up mock panels with students with the aim of encouraging them to become panel members. While this wasn’t in place at the time of our inspection, we will be interested to learn the outcome of it.
The constabulary needs to improve how it trains officers in effective communication
In our audit of stop and search we also reviewed a sample of ten BWV clips. On occasion, officers were unprofessional in the way they communicated with the person stopped. In the external scrutiny panel for use of force that we observed, panel members also identified a case where officers had acted unprofessionally. They used provocative language that could have escalated the situation.
During our inspection, there was some confusion as to whether officers receive training in effective communication skills, such as how to de-escalate situations or awareness of unconscious bias. We saw that the constabulary provides this training to new recruits. But officers that we spoke to were unclear about whether they had received training or not, either as refresher training or as continuous professional development. Officers who understand how to treat people with fairness and respect and why it’s important will build public trust and confidence.
The constabulary told us they couldn’t comply with the new College of Policing national curriculum for stop and search and use of force annual refresher training. Since April 2024, the College of Policing has mandated a two-day course rather than one day. But the constabulary has said the shift pattern for training days means they can’t release officers for two days at a time. We understand the College of Policing has approved a shortened version of the course for Hertfordshire Constabulary until April 2025.
Adequate
Preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, and reducing vulnerability
Hertfordshire Constabulary is good at prevention and deterrence.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to prevention and deterrence.
An impressive prevention first strategy creates a constabulary-wide approach to prevention and early intervention
Hertfordshire Constabulary’s prevention first strategy has two main aims, which are to prevent harm and reduce demand. It is an ambitious and well-resourced programme, offering training to everyone regardless of their role in the constabulary. We found evidence that the workforce welcomes and understands this approach.
Since we last inspected, the constabulary has introduced a prevention hub. The hub has ten personnel and has trained 72 prevention first ambassadors to support the wider constabulary in achieving the prevention first principles. The hub also reviews problem-solving plans and provides feedback to monthly performance meetings.
The prevention hub introduced a problem-solving evaluation panel. This panel brings together different teams and departments from across the constabulary to evaluate problem-solving plans to recognise and share learning.
We found that in May 2024, the panel only examined a small number of successfully completed cases. It would benefit from looking at a greater number of cases and focusing on critical evaluation to inform future problem-solving activity.
The constabulary also has a prevention first newsletter that outlines successful examples of problem-solving activity, as well as a preventative interventions library on the constabulary’s intranet.
We heard of several examples where the constabulary has successfully applied problem-solving principles to issues other than traditional neighbourhood policing concerns. For example, we were told about rubber stops installed in a police station car park to prevent damage to police vehicles. The constabulary told us that while it cost £2,800 to install the stops, it estimates that this will save £350,000 over the next five years and will reduce the number of occasions that police vehicles are unavailable for use.
The constabulary is committed to tackling antisocial behaviour but doesn’t record all antisocial behaviour crime
The constabulary has introduced community support units to help its neighbourhood policing teams. They provide tactical advice to neighbourhood policing teams for more complex problem-solving and obtain civil orders such as Criminal Behaviour Orders, Community Protection Notices and closure orders. This allows neighbourhood officers to target antisocial behaviour more effectively and to be more visible in their communities.
In the year ending 30 September 2023, Hertfordshire Constabulary used antisocial behaviour powers on several occasions, including:
In the year ending 31 March 2023, the constabulary recorded 20.7 antisocial behaviour incidents per 1,000 population, which is in the normal range for all forces in England and Wales. However, in the crime data integrity section of this report, we found that the constabulary was inadequate in its recording of antisocial behaviour personal crime. Only when the constabulary records all instances of antisocial behaviour will it understand the full effect on its communities.
The constabulary communicates effectively with its communities, including those who traditionally interact less often with the police
Hertfordshire Constabulary shapes its involvement with the community through its neighbourhood policing and community engagement strategy as well as its race action plan. The constabulary has ten community safety partnerships. Each community safety partnership has its own plan for working with diverse communities that is co‑ordinated through the diversity, equality and inclusion board and the race inclusion board.
In April 2024, the constabulary moved from its previous communication platform, Online Watch Link, to a new interactive online platform called Herts Connected. The new platform allows greater opportunities for the police and the public to work together. We were told that after consultation with Online Watch Link users, the constabulary could transfer more than 43,000 users to Herts Connected. So the constabulary maintained communication while signing up further residents in the county.
The constabulary has a positive action team whose role is to support recruitment from diverse communities and to build community confidence and cohesion. The constabulary told us of an example where they held events at barber shops in Black communities. We were told about a community member participating in a ride-along and sharing their experience and observations on their own social media channel.
Recognising the effect of the Palestine-Israel conflict on its local communities, the constabulary gathered information about community concerns and reassured both Jewish and Muslim communities in Hertfordshire. This included visits to synagogues and mosques and reviews of hate crimes. We were told about an instance of offensive graffiti at a place of worship. The constabulary used community resolution, a type of out-of-court disposal, to resolve the crime. The offender spent time talking to a member of this faith to understand the effect their crime had on the community.
In consultation with staff networks, the constabulary developed a faith booklet. The booklet provides a history of several faiths and considerations for police officers and staff when interacting with individuals of these faiths. The aim was to provide confidence and understanding of different cultures. However, we found that some officers, supervisors and senior leaders weren’t aware of this resource. The constabulary would benefit from promoting this booklet to help it build trust and confidence of local diverse communities.
The constabulary is working to reduce the risk posed by knife carriers
The constabulary classifies someone as a habitual knife carrier when they are involved in a knife-related incident, or three or more related crimes in a 12-month period. The constabulary holds a fortnightly meeting to discuss whether such individuals would be suited to a diversionary programme.
The programme offers habitual knife carriers suitable diversion from their offending behaviour, as well as any safeguarding they may need. This includes mentoring support, diversionary courses and hardship funding, as well as GPS tagging. Those who accept are assigned to dedicated personnel in the offender management team.
The risk posed by knife carriers who don’t accept this support is also managed. They become subject to a local neighbourhood policing team problem-solving plan.
We were told about an individual involved in county lines criminality who accepted this diversionary activity. Following referral to the programme, they re-entered education, and sought training for vocational work. They have also developed videos about their experience to be used for police officer training.
The constabulary has lots to offer local people who want to get involved in policing activity
Through the constabulary’s citizens in policing team, local people can become involved as police service volunteers, special constables, emergency service volunteers, police cadets, and mini police.
We were told that the constabulary has:
- 157 special constables;
- 87 police service volunteers;
- 120 drive safe volunteers;
- 260 police cadets;
- 3,244 children enrolled as mini police; and
- 12 emergency service volunteers that provide crime, fire and community safety advice.
As well as these larger schemes, the constabulary has used volunteers as cyber experts, recruited under an employer-supported scheme. Volunteers also sit on the race inclusion board and the stop and search scrutiny panels, providing lived experience and raising cultural awareness.
The constabulary has a citizens in policing governance board that focuses on the valuing volunteers framework. The board considers performance in each of the volunteering areas and recognises the volunteer of the month and special constable of the year in its awards.
Hertfordshire’s special constabulary has a career pathway, creating development opportunities. The special constabulary carries out a range of duties. This is not only in intervention and neighbourhood policing, but also in roads policing, rural crime and operational support units. They receive bespoke training for their roles and have their own specialist police equipment.
Members of the special constabulary told us it felt a sense of value and belonging within the organisation. This is encouraging to hear.
Good
Responding to the public
Hertfordshire Constabulary requires improvement at responding to the public.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to how well the constabulary responds to the public.
The constabulary needs to make sure it answers emergency calls quickly enough
In the year ending 30 April 2024, Hertfordshire Constabulary received 155 calls to 999 per 1,000 population. This was in line with other forces in England and Wales.
National call handling standards for 999 set out an expectation that 90 percent of these calls should be answered within ten seconds. In the year ending 30 April 2024, Hertfordshire Constabulary answered 81.5 percent of its 999 calls within ten seconds. This was below the expected standard.
The constabulary is failing to meet national call handling standards for 999 calls. It should continue efforts to improve this.
Figure 1: Proportion of 999 calls answered within ten seconds by forces in England and Wales in the year ending 30 April 2024
Source: 999 call answering times from BT
Note: Call answering time is the time taken for a call to be transferred from BT to a force, and the time taken by that force to answer the call.
The constabulary needs to reduce the number of abandoned non-emergency 101 calls
In the year ending 31 May 2024 the constabulary told us that 14.1 percent of calls to its non-emergency 101 number were abandoned. While the constabulary needs to reduce this further, as any abandonment of 101 calls presents a risk, this is a relatively low figure from which the constabulary should aim to improve. As set out in the 2020 national contact management strategy principles and guidance, forces without a switchboard should aim to have an abandonment rate lower than 10 percent.
Since our last inspection, the constabulary has introduced a new system in the control room called Q-Buster. In periods of high demand, this allows the caller to request a callback rather than wait in a queue. It is positive that the constabulary uses data from this system to quantify the number of calls successfully dealt with in this way, and whether they meet their service level agreements.
The constabulary told us it has done work to better understand abandonment rates. It can tell when calls are diverted to more appropriate ways to contact the constabulary. It does this by identifying when callers hang up in response to recorded messages about alternative contact options. This insight is valuable to the constabulary. It will help it to better understand its demand and where it can improve performance.
The constabulary identifies repeat and vulnerable callers, but needs to use this information better
When we last inspected, we found that the constabulary was missing opportunities to identify and record all repeat and vulnerable victims. The constabulary has trained its control room personnel and made system changes to improve both identification and recording.
During this inspection, as part of our audit, we found that the constabulary checked for repeat victims in 90 of 93 relevant cases. When it identified a repeat victim, it used the information effectively in 27 of 33 cases. We saw evidence of a check for a vulnerable victim and/or other person in 87 of 94 relevant cases. But where a vulnerable person was identified, this was recorded in 27 of 37 cases.
Hertfordshire Constabulary is better at checking for repeat and vulnerable callers than when we last inspected. Accurate recording of this information will increase awareness of the victim’s circumstances when considering the response and approach.
The constabulary has an effective management structure and is working to better respond to calls for service
The control room has a clear governance structure and performance framework which reports to the strategic performance board. The deputy chief constable chairs this board. There is also oversight and scrutiny through the local daily management meeting process.
We found that the control room has access to relevant performance data and is analysing it to make improvements. We were told about a drop in performance of attendance times happening around the time intervention teams hand over. The constabulary introduced a continuity car. This remains in the community during shift changes, ready to deploy to immediate incidents.
The control room is improving its interconnectivity with the local policing command and at a senior leadership level this appears to be taking effect. With a focus on responding to the public, Operation Halling brings together subject matter experts to identify barriers to responding to demand and meeting constabulary standards. However, the constabulary still has some issues with performance. We will be interested to see how this work develops.
The constabulary uses a structured triage to prioritise calls and give the public an appropriate response
As part of our victim service assessment, we found that in 95 of the 98 calls we reviewed, the constabulary recorded a structured triage and risk assessment. THRIVE assessment was accurate and meaningful in 93 of 95 cases. We also found that the initial prioritisation grading of the call was appropriate to the information obtained in 91 of 100 cases.
This means that the constabulary is properly assessing victims’ needs, based on the information it records. Using this comprehensive risk assessment makes it easier to prioritise calls at times of high demand.
But we found that call handlers were overly focused on answering templates on their command-and-control system. And there were also some calls that were very lengthy, with call handlers asking unnecessarily detailed questions.
The constabulary works with other agencies to respond appropriately to incidents involving vulnerable people
The constabulary has introduced the THRIVE assessment programme to make sure that the agency best positioned to respond in a crisis can do so. We were told that the constabulary has successfully implemented phase one. But there are delays in progressing further while it works with the local authority and NHS providers to make sure they can provide the right service to vulnerable people.
The constabulary has a mental health professional in the control room, who has access to health systems. They advise on and assist with decision-making, referrals, and disposal options. Officers work alongside this professional and deploy to scenes where people are in crisis. We were told this is helping to make sure that officers’ powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 are only being used when necessary. However, we were told that delays at hospitals in handing over patients to health services places a demand on officers, so they aren’t free to attend other incidents. Under the principles of Right Care, Right Person, the constabulary is working with safeguarding partners to find an appropriate solution to this.
In November 2023, the constabulary introduced Pegasus. This is a membership scheme for individuals who have any communication needs or disability that might hinder their contact with the emergency services. When the individual encounters the police, officers and staff can access information securely stored on a police database. This means the constabulary can tailor its approach to the individual’s needs.
The constabulary has provided enhanced scenes of crime training to some intervention and neighbourhood officers
When attending crime scenes, officers are taught about golden hour principles. This is the principle that effective early action can secure evidence that would otherwise be lost to the investigation. Some of this will include forensic evidence that needs to be preserved and seized by specialist crime scene investigators.
The constabulary has provided enhanced training in crime scene preservation to around 120 intervention and neighbourhood officers who share learning and offer advice. This consists of spending a day with crime scene investigators attending scenes. It includes training on recovery of exhibits, including how to correctly package them. And it includes time with footwear, fingerprint and forensic imaging teams.
Better preservation of evidence can create more opportunities to bring offenders to justice and provide better outcomes for victims.
Requires improvement
Investigating crime
Hertfordshire Constabulary requires improvement at investigating crime.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to how well the constabulary investigates crime.
The constabulary needs to improve its governance and oversight of investigations and make sure officers and staff have the skills and capabilities to achieve quality investigations
Hertfordshire Constabulary has governance structures for investigations. But these aren’t as effective as they could be. The operating model means there is a disconnect in performance management. And there is a lack of senior leaders with detective accreditation dedicated to overseeing local crime teams.
The constabulary also doesn’t have tutor detectives to mentor trainee investigators when they are working towards their accreditation to become a detective. This is creating additional demand for experienced detectives. And it isn’t providing trainees with the guidance and support they need to become skilled and effective investigators.
We found a disparity between uniform and detective teams in relation to training. Local crime teams don’t get dedicated training days, unlike their uniform colleagues. So the constabulary may be missing an opportunity to keep investigators up to date with their knowledge and skills.
The constabulary recognises that it needs to support a young-in-service workforce and has put on crime and investigation workshops to support them. In our reality testing, some officers weren’t aware of these. Others told us that while this is a good initiative, they struggled to get time to attend the workshops due to workload demands and staffing levels. We were also told that, due to a lack of attendance, the workshops have now stopped.
The constabulary has reduced the number of investigations where the time limit for prosecution has run out
In our PEEL inspection in 2022, we found cases where delays in investigations meant that it wasn’t possible to prosecute because statutory time limits had expired.
Since then, the constabulary has put effective governance and oversight in place. A Power BI dashboard identifies cases approaching their statutory time limit. These are then discussed weekly in the force daily management meeting. In this meeting, we saw clear actions set to move investigations forward and to reduce the likelihood of them lapsing without activity.
In the year ending 31 December 2023, the proportion of victim-based crimes assigned outcome 17 (prosecution time limit expired) by Hertfordshire Constabulary was 0.5 percent. This was within the normal range compared to other forces in England and Wales. It is an improvement since the year ending 31 December 2022, when 1.2 percent of victim-based crimes were assigned outcome 17.
This offers better opportunities to provide appropriate outcomes for victims.
The constabulary achieves good results for victims by pursuing evidence-led investigations when appropriate
If a victim decides not to support a prosecution, police and prosecutors should consider whether it is possible to still bring a case to court. This is called evidence-led prosecution.
In our last PEEL inspection report, we commented that the constabulary doesn’t routinely proceed with evidence-led prosecutions. We also said it should make sure it documents whether it has considered evidence-led prosecution, even if it doesn’t pursue this option.
During our fieldwork, officers and supervisors we spoke to were aware of evidence-led prosecutions and of the requirement to enter an auditable record on the investigation. We found that officers considered progressing or tried to progress cases without the support of victims in 10 of the 12 relevant cases we examined. This was particularly the case in the domestic abuse investigation and safeguarding unit and the rapid video response team.
It is noteworthy that officers outside these teams have achieved successful evidence‑led prosecution in cases other than domestic abuse cases. We were told about one example in the local crime unit of a sexual assault. In this case the strength of the evidence and the perpetrator’s previous bad character were used when the victim was no longer able to support the investigation. The constabulary presented the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised charges.
Requires improvement
Protecting vulnerable people
Hertfordshire Constabulary requires improvement at protecting vulnerable people.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to how well the constabulary protects vulnerable people.
The constabulary should maximise its use of victim feedback to improve services
The constabulary uses Echo and victim surveys to gather feedback from victims about their experience of its services. It also has a victim survey and insight team that provides an understanding of victims’ sentiments. It presents these findings at several force meetings, including the victim and witness board, which is chaired by an assistant chief constable.
We found examples where the constabulary has used feedback to change its approach. The constabulary uses the ‘ACEit’ mnemonic (action, communication, expectation) and provided its workforce with victim journey training to improve a victim’s experience throughout an investigation. The constabulary also ran a pilot training course for officers that it jointly provided with survivors of domestic abuse.
However, we found limited evidence about how the constabulary uses victim feedback to inform its approach to dealing with vulnerable people in particular.
The constabulary has increased the number of domestic violence protection orders it applies for and has processes in place to identify breaches
When we last inspected the constabulary in 2022, we said it should make sure that it considers protective orders in all appropriate cases.
Since then, the constabulary has dedicated a full-time member of personnel to oversee its use of Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs). This individual identifies suitable cases, assists officers in preparing court files, and applies for the orders at court. The constabulary also has a public protection daily management meeting, which covers cases suitable for a DVPO.
The constabulary told us that between January and May 2024 it applied for and had granted 153 DVPOs. While this is an improvement from when we last inspected, the constabulary recognises this is an area in which it still wishes to improve.
Once a DVPO has been granted, the constabulary creates briefing documents and shares them on force systems. There are robust processes to make sure officers carry out checks on perpetrators. This includes use of the constabulary’s proactive Scorpion teams. We were told of one example where the team stopped a vehicle belonging to a person who had a DVPO to protect them, because there was a male passenger. This male was identified as the subject of the order and was arrested.
In the year ending 30 September 2023, the constabulary had 112 DVPO applications granted at court, which equated to 9.3 applications granted per 100,000 population. This represents an increase compared to the previous year, when Hertfordshire constabulary had 13 DVPO applications granted at court, which equated to 1.1 applications granted per 100,000.
Additionally, in the year ending 30 September 2023, the constabulary recorded nine DVPO breaches, which equated to 0.7 breaches per 100,000 population. This was lower than the average across all forces in England and Wales (4.2 breaches per 100,000 population). It means that of the DVPOs granted during this period, the equivalent of 8 percent were recorded as breached.
To safeguard vulnerable victims, the constabulary needs to satisfy itself that it is taking all reasonable steps to identify offenders who breach these orders.
The constabulary has reviewed its multi-agency risk assessment conference and is making improvements
The constabulary is acting on recommendations from an independent review it commissioned into the effectiveness of its multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs). It is implementing the findings from the review through a multi-agency task-and-finish group. This gives the constabulary an opportunity to address the findings with the agencies that contribute to MARAC.
MARACs within the constabulary are generally effective in working together to safeguard victims of domestic abuse and their children. But they rely on being police led. Referrals into MARAC are predominantly from police and independent domestic violence advisors. One conclusion from the independent review was to encourage more dynamic conversation in the meetings. The constabulary is working to increase representation for the chair role, which may support it in improving this.
We found some evidence of referrals from other agencies that disclosed crimes. But the constabulary didn’t pick up and record these crimes until the MARAC meeting. This doesn’t comply with Home Office Crime Recording Standards and isn’t providing a timely service to victims of crime.
Requires improvement
Managing offenders and suspects
Hertfordshire Constabulary is adequate at managing offenders and suspects.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to how well the constabulary manages offenders and suspects.
The constabulary is effective at managing the arrest of wanted people and those suspected of committing offences
Hertfordshire Constabulary has effective governance and data to help it prioritise and monitor outstanding suspects.
We observed local briefings and force-level meetings where priority suspects were discussed. This includes suspects who are wanted by police or are recorded as wanted on the Police National Computer. At these meetings, the constabulary sets actions to get them arrested.
The constabulary also has a surgery where intelligence officers advise officers and staff on locating people who prove more difficult to find. And it uses a specific document to record the details of these people. It also has a proactive team and the special constabulary that it can use to locate outstanding suspects and wanted people. Detective inspectors on local crime units review, oversee and manage high-risk cases. However, we found that for lower risk cases that were the responsibility of uniform teams, demand affected their ability to review and act on these.
The constabulary has a Power BI dashboard that provides details of suspects, crime types and how long they have been outstanding as wanted. However, we didn’t see any use of a harm score or warning flags, such as domestic abuse.
Further developing this dashboard so that the risk level posed by individuals is clear will help the constabulary prioritise those that are at most risk of causing harm.
The constabulary has effective oversight of those who are on bail or released under investigation
The constabulary has a dedicated bail management team that works remotely from custody suites and oversees bail and people who have been released under investigation. Officers and staff understand the importance of bail and the use of conditions as a safeguarding tool.
The constabulary has developed an effective bail and released under investigation management app. It takes data from the crime case management system (Athena), allowing a detailed understanding of each case. Two weeks prior to a bail date, it emails the officer in the case and their line manager. The email acts both as a reminder and provides guidance as to the options available. If the officer in the case is considering removing bail and releasing the suspect under investigation, then this must be authorised by a superintendent. This process reduces the possibility of bail lapsing without the constabulary considering an extension, resulting in the loss of bail conditions to manage a suspect’s risk. Where bail does lapse into released under investigation, the bail management team reviews it to identify learning and to make sure that safeguarding measures are in place.
In the year ending 31 March 2022, before the changes in the Bail Act came into force in October 2022, 6,691 individuals were released under investigation. This has reduced to 1,668 individuals released under investigation in the year ending 31 March 2024.
However, we found that the constabulary didn’t have the same level of governance and oversight of people it deemed appropriate to investigate by voluntary attendance. The constabulary needs to understand its use of voluntary attendance to make sure this is suitable for the crimes being investigated. This is so that it doesn’t lose investigative opportunities and so that it considers all appropriate safeguarding.
The constabulary makes effective use of technology to manage the risk posed by registered sex offenders
The police can use a range of methods to identify the risk posed by registered sex offenders. These range from physical visits and risk assessment of offenders, to software and technology.
During our inspection, we found that Hertfordshire Constabulary effectively uses a wide range of these measures. This includes software that allows them to interrogate electronic devices to prevent and detect crime. And it includes polygraph tests, which develop intelligence and help to assess and manage the risk level of offenders. This helps the constabulary identify breaches, new offending, and safeguarding concerns at an early stage.
The constabulary has timely and appropriate information sharing with safeguarding partners to protect children
After the constabulary has received a report of suspected online abuse of children, it acts promptly to refer any children identified to children’s social care.
The constabulary’s child online safeguarding team has three intelligence development officers. Once they receive a referral, they complete comprehensive intelligence checks to identify any children who may be at risk from the suspect. We found minimal backlogs in referrals awaiting intelligence checks.
We reviewed several cases investigated by child online safeguarding team. Where the team identified that children were present or connected to the investigation, we found that it made referrals to children’s social care promptly in all cases.
This allows information sharing to begin between the two organisations and helps them build an accurate picture of the risk the suspect poses. Sharing this information safeguards children at the earliest opportunity.
The constabulary should make sure its Violent and Sex Offender Register supervisory reviews are of a high quality
During our inspection we sampled several violent and sex offender records. We found that information, risk assessments and management plans by offender managers were comprehensive and contained detail about risk. But we found some evidence of inconsistency in the quality of supervisor reviews. Some merely consisted of the officer’s number, and others were non-specific templates. This means supervisors are missing opportunities to allocate further work or enquiries.
For example, reviewing all available intelligence linked to a registered sex offender helps complete a better risk assessment. We found that offender managers weren’t routinely completing Police National Database checks. The Police National Database identifies intelligence about an offender across the country. An effective supervisory review would have identified these additional lines of enquiry.
The constabulary should make sure supervisors complete high-quality violent and sex offender record reviews and record these accurately on IT systems.
Adequate
Building, supporting and protecting the workforce
Hertfordshire Constabulary is adequate at building, supporting and protecting the workforce.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to how well the constabulary builds, supports and protects the workforce.
The constabulary provides additional support for those in high-risk roles and following potentially traumatic incidents
The constabulary has identified departments and roles that carry high risks to well‑being. It reviews this list regularly. Those in high-risk roles get regular psychological screening. If this picks up signs of trauma, the occupational health unit contacts the team member. Some roles require screening to identify an individual’s suitability, prior to starting in the role. Senior leaders have access to anonymised data and reports to inform their understanding of trends in well-being and any causes.
The constabulary has a dedicated well-being team that oversees 150 well-being champions. These champions work in a range of departments and include police staff and officers of various ranks and grades. Their role is to listen to concerns and signpost individuals to appropriate support. Officers and staff we spoke to while on inspection were aware of the well-being champions and spoke positively about them.
In December 2023, the constabulary introduced Pause Point for those in its child online safeguarding team. This programme aims to accommodate the individual well‑being needs of personnel affected by the demands of their role or by trauma. The constabulary intends to roll this out to other safeguarding teams.
The constabulary has a clear process for post-incident support. This includes access to a trauma risk management (TRiM) referral process. This offer extends to police staff and members of the special constabulary. However, while participation with TRiM is voluntary, not everyone we spoke to valued TRiM and the offer wasn’t always extended to specialist roles, such as those in safeguarding teams.
The retention team is effective, but the constabulary could do more to promote its work
The constabulary’s retention team has effective governance and provides data and insight to the constabulary’s organisational development board. We were told that since June 2023 the team has received 150 referrals from individuals considering leaving. They have successfully supported 86 percent of these individuals to stay working for Hertfordshire Constabulary.
As well as providing tailored support, the team collates information from exit interviews about why people leave. It produces reports for senior leaders to give them insight to inform their understanding of trends and underlying causes.
We were told the retention team has identified specific points in service where individuals are more likely to leave. They have targeted survey activity accordingly.
While we heard of positive examples of where this team has supported members of the organisation, they aren’t widely known about across the workforce. They receive most of their referrals from staff associations and networks. The constabulary would benefit from raising awareness of this team’s positive work.
An effective positive action team supports officers and staff from under‑represented groups
The constabulary has recently written its positive action policy, which supports the work of the positive action team in promoting diversity, equality and inclusion. The team consists of a sergeant, three police staff members and two constables, with the oversight of an inspector.
The positive action team works with the constabulary’s wide and varied range of staff associations and networks. They also provide tailored guidance to develop, progress and support officers and staff from under-represented groups. The constabulary offers mentoring and coaching specifically for people from under-represented groups and is encouraging individuals to attend the Aspire senior leadership and development programme. The constabulary created an initiative called Operation Hyla to understand and address poor female representation in first- and second-line leadership roles.
The constabulary asks for feedback and responds to concerns the team raises. This has resulted in the development of anti-racism training, a faith booklet and cultural awareness training. While the constabulary is rolling out anti-racism training, many of the officers we spoke to hadn’t heard of the faith booklet. The constabulary told us that it will give the cultural awareness training to new recruits from September 2024. We will be interested to see how this develops.
We heard of good examples of where this positive action team has supported neurodivergent officers and staff and also those for whom English isn’t their first spoken language. However, we found, from speaking to officers and staff, that the team isn’t widely known about across the workforce. It gets most of its referrals from staff associations and networks.
The constabulary would benefit from raising awareness of the positive work of this team to encourage more individuals to refer themselves.
The constabulary needs to instil in the workforce the confidence to report inappropriate behaviour
The chief officer team communicates clear expectations around culture and standards and the constabulary promotes its ‘call it out’ campaign. But during our inspection, we learnt that some members of the workforce lack trust in the constabulary to deal effectively with inappropriate behaviour. This included when they were victims themselves.
We also carried out an anonymous PEEL workforce survey, open from 30 January 2024 to 11 March 2024. In the last 12 months, 16.2 percent of respondents (86 of 529 respondents) had felt discriminated against at work in Hertfordshire Constabulary. We asked respondents whether the discrimination was reported: 48 of 85 respondents hadn’t reported it, 8 of 85 respondents had reported it formally and 19 of 85 respondents reported it informally. Of those who reported the discrimination either formally, informally, or both, 24 of 32 respondents said no action had been taken. Of those respondents who didn’t report the discrimination they experienced, 13 had concerns about being labelled as a troublemaker, and 23 thought nothing would happen.
The constabulary should take steps to understand this disparity and negative perception. Only when the workforce is confident to report issues can the constabulary tackle this behaviour effectively.
Positively, the constabulary has reviewed its Operation Hampshire protocols, and hate crime has been included alongside officers who are assaulted on duty. Every victim is given support by a hate crime officer. We will be interested to see how this improves recognition of the status of officers and staff as victims, so that they are treated and supported as such.
The constabulary needs to do more to develop and support its first-line leaders
The constabulary accepts that it hasn’t invested enough in leadership training in recent years. But it is taking steps to improve this. It has developed a seven-day training programme to provide first-line leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to be effective in the role of supervisor. The programme is focused on operational policing and is in line with the College of Policing’s First Line Leaders programme. The course is varied and includes training sessions on well-being, investigation standards, safeguarding, and diversity, equality and inclusion.
However, the constabulary doesn’t always offer this course to those about to take up acting or temporary positions. We also found some sergeants who hadn’t received the training despite being in the role for some months. We were also told that ongoing continuous professional development for first-line leaders isn’t always prioritised due to workload pressures.
Data provided by the constabulary indicates that between 24 October 2022 and 22 April 2024, 95 out of 413 sergeants received this training. The constabulary couldn’t tell us how many of those who had received the training were acting or temporary at the time, as it doesn’t record this information.
In our PEEL workforce survey, we collected feedback from line managers and identified that not all of them feel equipped to do their role. We found that 64 percent (112 of 175) of line managers who responded said they received the training needed to do their role.
The constabulary’s first-line leaders are vital to support and develop a young in‑service workforce. This includes support around standards of investigations, well‑being and expected behaviours, which are areas we have identified where the constabulary needs to improve. Effective training provision will support its workforce in improving this.
Adequate
Leadership and force management
Hertfordshire Constabulary’s leadership and management requires improvement.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to leadership and management.
The constabulary should make sure that its officers and staff have the knowledge and understanding to give an effective service to victims
The constabulary has recently made changes to its policies and processes to improve the service it offers to victims and the community in Hertfordshire. In January 2024, it introduced guidance for officers and staff when completing an initial victim needs assessment. And following feedback from the constabulary’s external scrutiny panel for use of force, it brought in a new process to record justification.
However, during our inspection, we found that not all officers were aware of the new processes, including some senior leaders. There was a lack of understanding of what was required. And some officers didn’t understand the reasons why this was important, seeing it as duplicated effort.
The constabulary should make sure that it communicates changes to policy and processes effectively. It should check to make sure that officers and staff understand what is required, how they can achieve this and why it is important. It should assure itself that new processes are being completed.
The constabulary has established collaborations with neighbouring forces and across the wider region
The constabulary has a proven track record with force collaboration and works with Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Bedfordshire Police in a three-force partnership. It is also part of a seven-force regional network.
In our previous inspection, we said the constabulary should review its arrangements under section 23 of the Police Act 1996 on the provision of collaborated occupational health. And it should check that staff throughout the three forces are supported by an effective occupational health unit. Hertfordshire Constabulary has since reviewed the arrangement. Officers and staff told us the service they receive from occupational health is improving.
All collaboration arrangements between the three forces and their collaborated functions have been reviewed. And we found that governance processes were effective. Hertfordshire Constabulary benefits from these arrangements in terms of financial savings and access to shared resources.
One of the collaborated functions is IT. It is positive to learn that the constabulary is actively looking to introduce artificial intelligence capability into some of its functions. However, it will need more investment if it is to keep up with the ambition for automation to reduce demand. At the time of our inspection, this wasn’t in place. But we will be interested to see how this progresses, and the effect it has in our next PEEL inspection.
The constabulary has a detailed medium-term financial plan and sensible reserves
In the year ending 31 March 2023, the constabulary received a total of £251.8 million in funding, which was £209,000 per 1,000 population. The council tax precept makes up 40.7 percent of its total funding, which is £102.6 million. The constabulary is funded in the typical range when compared to other forces across England and Wales.
The constabulary has a good level of total specific and general reserves of £24.3 million. Total projected reserves will be £19.7 million for 2023/24 according to the medium-term financial strategy. The constabulary told us it has a sensible general reserve of 5 percent of its general budget, which is £12.6 million.
The constabulary has increased scrutiny around use of overtime. However, it is still using overtime or rest day working to manage its demand. The constabulary needs to make sure this level of debt is managed and is sustainable.
Requires improvement
About the data
Data in this report comes from a range of sources, including:
- the Home Office;
- the Office for National Statistics;
- our inspection fieldwork; and
- data we collected from the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.
For any charts and tables included in this report, we have listed the data source underneath.
Methodology
Data that we collect from police forces
We collect data from police forces twice a year. We agreed the design and schedule of this data collection with forces and other interested parties, including the Home Office.
Our analysts check and evaluate the collected data. We contact the force if we have any initial queries. Following this, we carry out an in-depth data review and make further contact with the force if needed. This process gives forces several opportunities to quality assure and validate the information they shared to make sure it is accurate.
We then share our analysis with the force by uploading the data to online dashboards. As they can review own and other forces’ data in context, forces can identify any notable differences or other inconsistencies.
Forces considered in this report
This report presents the results from a PEEL inspection of one of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. British Transport Police is outside the scope of this report.
Any aggregated totals for England and Wales exclude data from the British Transport Police, which means that the totals will differ from those published by the Home Office. If any other police forces didn’t supply data and aren’t included in the total figures, we will mention this.
Timeliness of the data
We use data that has been collected outside our PEEL inspection to support our fieldwork.
This report contains the latest data available before the start of our inspection and the data that the force gave us during our inspection. If more recent data becomes available after our inspection fieldwork and shows that the force’s performance has changed, we will comment on this.
Reporting rates per population
In this report, we sometimes present information as rates per 1,000 population in each police force area. This allows our data to be comparable across all forces. Where population data is used in our calculations, we use the latest mid-year population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
Reporting where the force is significantly different from the average
In this report, we have included bar charts with dotted red lines to show where a force is significantly different from the average for forces in England and Wales.
The dotted lines on the bar charts show one standard deviation above and below the unweighted average of all forces. Standard deviation summarises the difference between each individual value and the average and can be used to identify extreme or rare values.
Forces that are more than one standard deviation above or below the average are considered significantly different. These forces are outside the red dotted lines on our bar charts and we have highlighted them in either a dark blue (forces above average) or light blue (forces below average) colour. Typically, 32 percent of forces will be above or below these lines for any given measure.
Reporting on police workforce survey data
We survey the police workforce throughout England and Wales to understand their experiences at work. The survey is an opportunity for the whole workforce to share their views with us. It is a valuable source of information as it isn’t possible to speak to everyone in a force during our inspection.
However, the responses we receive come from a non-statistical, voluntary sample within the workforce. The number of responses also varies between forces. This means that the results may be not representative of the workforce population.
We treat the results with caution and don’t use them to assess police forces. Instead, we use the results to establish themes that should be explored further during our inspection fieldwork. The results can also be used to give more evidence and validate information from other sources.
Victim service assessment
We carry out a victim service assessment for all forces as part of our inspection programme.
We assess the service that a force provides to victims. This is from the point of reporting a crime and throughout an investigation.
We also evaluate how forces record crimes. We assess every force on its crime recording practices at least once every three years.
Details of the technical methodology for the victim service assessment.
Stop and search audits
We carry out a stop and search audit for all forces as part of our inspection programme.
Our stop and search audits allow us to evaluate how well forces use their stop and search powers. We review how many stop and searches a force carried out under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 or section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. We analyse:
- the rate of disproportionality in use of stop and search by ethnicity;
- the proportion of stop and searches that had reasonable grounds;
- the outcomes of the stop and searches that the force carried out; and
- find rates (the rates at which officers find what they are searching for in a stop and search encounter).