Overall summary
Our judgments
Our inspection assessed how good Lancashire 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 Lancashire 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 congratulate Lancashire Constabulary on its performance in reducing crime and giving victims an effective service. But to provide a consistently good service, it needs to improve in some areas.
Lancashire Constabulary has diverse communities, including some areas with high levels of deprivation, 4 of which are among the 20 most deprived areas in England. The constabulary has reviewed its operating model to make sure it keeps improving its service to the whole community now and in the future.
The constabulary has been responsive to the areas for improvement we found in our last inspection and it remains on a generally positive trajectory. The leadership of performance management is strong, and the constabulary’s plans are clearly linked to set priorities. This supports the consistent performance we saw in other parts of our inspection.
I am particularly pleased to see the progress the constabulary has made since our last inspection in preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour. This is outstanding. We saw several examples of promising and innovative practice in this area, including a new problem-solving system. The constabulary has also taken a robust approach to managing offenders, using effective local processes to manage them. It has also improved the quality and timeliness of investigations its workforce carries out to bring justice for victims.
It makes excellent use of robotic process automation and understands how this has brought efficiency to administrative processes. It uses evaluation to show the benefits.
But the constabulary needs to focus on its approach to keeping some vulnerable people safe from further harm. We found delays in some services, including the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) and referrals to multi-agency partnership arrangements. I am confident that Lancashire Constabulary will take swift action to address these delays, and I will continue to monitor the way the constabulary responds and takes steps to improve these areas.
Michelle Skeer
HM Inspector of Constabulary
Leadership
Using the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) as a framework, in this section we set out the most important findings relating to the constabulary’s leadership at all levels.
The constabulary has effective governance and performance management in support of the community’s needs and priorities. It has a good understanding of its performance and is working to improve it. Performance objectives align well with the constabulary’s strategies, bringing clarity for the workforce.
The constabulary reviews and adjusts its target operating model, thereby supporting improvements as it develops its plans. It uses data well to make appropriate policy and workforce decisions, making sure it has capacity where it is most needed. It is aware of internal demand, reducing it through change processes and intelligent use of technology. This helps the constabulary increase its efficiency and reduce bureaucracy for the workforce.
The constabulary has assessed leadership capability across the organisation and plans to address the gaps it has identified. It has taken steps to understand how the workforce perceives its leaders and to improve leadership standards and visibility, investing in more leadership roles. The People’s Voice programme also helps the workforce understand its communities and to communicate effectively and without bias.
There is a comprehensive leadership programme across all ranks, which includes individuals identified as future leaders. This will make sure the workforce has the skills and capability to lead effectively.
More detail on Lancashire 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 Lancashire 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:
Where a community resolution (with or without formal restorative justice) has been applied in accordance with College of Policing guidance.
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 handler answers it. In their calls, call handlers use a structured process that assesses threat, harm, risk and vulnerability called THRIVE+. Call handlers identify repeat victims. They are polite and give victims advice on crime prevention and on how to preserve evidence.
On most occasions, the constabulary responds promptly to calls for service
On most occasions, the constabulary responds to calls for service appropriately and within set timescales. When delays occur, it keeps victims informed.
The constabulary’s crime recording is of a good standard when it comes to making sure victims receive an appropriate level of service
The constabulary has effective crime-recording processes. It makes sure it records crimes correctly and promptly.
We set out more details about the constabulary’s crime recording in the ‘Recording data about crime’ section.
The constabulary doesn’t always carry out effective investigations
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 or 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. We found that, in some cases, the constabulary took victim personal statements which gave victims the opportunity to describe how that crime had affected their lives.
When victims withdraw support for an investigation, the constabulary usually 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. In most cases, the constabulary also records 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 or record all requests for additional support.
The constabulary doesn’t always assign the right outcome type to investigations, and although it mostly considers victims’ wishes, it doesn’t always keep auditable records
In most cases, the constabulary closes crimes with the appropriate outcome type. It usually records a clear rationale for using a certain outcome and this is effectively supervised. It asks for victims’ views when deciding which outcome type to assign to a closed investigation. But it doesn’t always provide an auditable record of victims’ wishes. It informs most victims of the outcome code it has assigned to the investigation.
Recording data about crime
Lancashire Constabulary is good 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 Lancashire Constabulary is recording 96.9 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 1.9 percent) of all reported crime (excluding fraud).
We estimate that the constabulary is recording 96.2 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 3.6 percent) of sexual offences.
We estimate that the constabulary is recording 95.0 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 3.9 percent) of violent offences.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to crime data integrity.
The constabulary records rape offences effectively
The constabulary has continued to record rape offences effectively. Rape is one of the most serious crimes a victim can experience. Therefore, it is important that crimes are recorded accurately to make sure victims receive the service and support they expect and deserve.
The constabulary records crimes against vulnerable victims
The constabulary records most crimes against vulnerable victims. We examined 66 incidents. Of those incidents, 22 crimes should have been recorded, but 19 were actually recorded. Failure to record these crimes can result in perpetrators not being identified or brought to justice.
Good
Police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully
Lancashire Constabulary is good 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.
The constabulary provides cultural awareness and other training to support communication without bias
In our last inspection, we identified the People’s Voice cultural awareness programme as promising practice. The workforce now fully understands and values the programme and it is integrated into operational activity. The constabulary told us that, up to 30 April 2024, it had held 258 face-to-face awareness sessions on a range of subjects. This included 31 recordings, which had been viewed 6,897 times. The workforce finds these sessions helpful, and officers and staff we spoke to value the programme.
Hydra training also includes material on police behaviour during interactions. And some teams are piloting a new procedural justice course before the constabulary rolls it out more widely. This aims to help improve active listening, self-awareness and empathy and to explain actions when dealing with the public.
The constabulary effectively trains its workforce to use stop and search powers, but it could improve the way it uses body-worn video
Officers have stop and search training and continuing professional development, including a recent stop and search refresher with a video blog by a chief officer. The constabulary has stop and search scenarios in its public and personal safety training, as required by the College of Policing. This training, as well as the promising practice we saw in the immersive Hydra training, means the workforce is well placed to use stop and search powers effectively.
In the year ending 31 March 2023, officers in Lancashire Constabulary carried out 12,826 stop and searches. This is an increase of 20.6 percent compared to the previous year. The constabulary told us that, for the year ending 30 April 2024, 19,948 stop and searches took place. This suggests increased workforce confidence in using stop and search powers.
We reviewed a sample of 191 stop and search records from 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024. Based on this sample, we estimate that 85.9 percent (with a confidence interval of +/- 4.9 percent) of all stop and searches carried out by the constabulary during this period had reasonable grounds. This is broadly unchanged compared to our findings from a previous review of records. From 1 January to 31 December 2021, we found 85.2 percent (with a confidence interval of +/‑5.1 percent) had reasonable grounds. Of the records we reviewed for stop and searches on people who self-identified as being from an ethnic minority background, 32 out of 43 had reasonable grounds.
We also assessed 21 body-worn video (BWV) recordings. We found officers are friendly and engaging. In some recordings, we found officers could better explain the grounds for the search and give more opportunity to the detained person to explain their behaviour. This may remove the need for searching. Some recordings didn’t capture the whole encounter. It would be beneficial for officers to start recording earlier so the whole encounter is captured, including the initial conversation with the subject. This will help make sure the use of powers is always fair and transparent.
The constabulary has taken positive steps to understand disproportionality in its use of stop and search powers
The constabulary examines the demographic make-up of its area using local population data about people from ethnic minority backgrounds. This gives a useful indication of disproportionality in the use of stop and search powers locally. The constabulary also uses complaint data to understand its use of stop and search. For the year ending 31 March 2023, based on local population data, Black people were 2.9 times more likely than White people to be stopped and searched by Lancashire Constabulary. Asian and Asian British people were 1.7 times as likely as White people to be stopped and searched, and people of other ethnicities 0.6 times as likely. The disproportionality rate for Black people and people of other ethnicities (other than Asian and Asian British people) is lower than the average disproportionality rate across all forces in England and Wales; for Asian and Asian British people it is slightly higher. The constabulary could improve its approach by examining data on other minority groups subject to stop and search powers, which would enhance its understanding. But since our last inspection, it has taken positive steps to understand disproportionality.
Comprehensive governance and effective scrutiny are in place for stop and search and use of force
The constabulary holds force-level governance meetings, with broad representation. In summer 2024, it also added divisional meetings for basic command units (BCUs), which oversee the tactical use of powers. The constabulary makes good use of data in meetings to help it understand the way it uses its powers. This includes data on exposure of intimate part searches. Each time this type of search is carried out on a child, an automatic notification is sent to the stop and search strategic lead and the BCUs for a legitimacy review. Systems also prompt safeguarding referrals. The constabulary also monitors the number of searches and uses of force carried out on children under the age of ten.
All stop and search forms are submitted via a sergeant for an initial review. There is also an enhanced BWV review process, providing quality assurance on stop and search and use of force. There are clear expectations for sergeants to review 15 BWV recordings a month, while inspectors review five recordings and chief inspectors review three. This brings additional scrutiny to BWV recordings and helps to improve the quality of completed stop and search forms. It also means the constabulary can review officer behaviour, interaction with the public and the grounds recorded for stop and search.
The constabulary told us that, in the year ending 31 March 2024, the number of BWV reviews rose by more than 6,500 when compared to the previous financial year. This is positive. Officers we spoke to also told us they receive feedback from supervisors who review BWV to help them to improve future encounters.
Scrutiny of the use of powers also takes place through internal and external panels. These work well. The internal panel has a range of attendees, including senior officers and representatives from BCUs, the professional standards department, learning and development, and other teams. It reviews BWV, stop and search and use of force records, and collates feedback for officers.
The external scrutiny panel is co-ordinated by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and has taken steps to expand the diversity of its membership. This panel also reviews BWV and records from encounters and gives independent feedback to the constabulary on its use of powers, tracking actions that it raises.
Officers understand the use of force powers and report appropriately when they use them
The constabulary uses the College of Policing public and personal safety training. Officers we spoke to are compliant with that training. The constabulary has improved the timing of student officer courses, so this training takes place at an appropriate point in the schedule. Data for the year ending 31 March 2023 shows that use of force reporting has increased by 53.5 percent to 18,421. There is an estimated shortfall of only 893 records when compared to arrests made in the same period. This shows a significant improvement in recording.
The constabulary effectively monitors the use of body-worn video
The constabulary has a policy that gives the workforce clarity on how to use BWV. It should be switched on early enough to record all relevant information leading up to detention for a search, as well as the conduct of the search, the conclusion of the encounter and any use of force. A data dashboard shows the number of records submitted and the number of BWV activations when officers use powers, as well as reasons BWV wasn’t used. Constabulary data for the year ending 31 July 2024 shows compliance of 96 percent for stop and searches.
Good
Preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, and reducing vulnerability
Lancashire Constabulary is outstanding at prevention and deterrence.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to prevention and deterrence.
The constabulary works well with local communities, which helps it identify and address priorities effectively
Neighbourhood teams are visible on the constabulary’s website. Each team has an engagement plan, managed by the local inspector. These plans show how officers and police community support officers interact with local people, and who they communicate with, including seldom heard communities.
The constabulary uses Lancashire Talking, a two-way system for communicating with the public, using surveys to understand concerns. Responses shape its policing priorities. The constabulary told us that approximately 18 percent of all households in Lancashire – more than 123,000 households – have signed up to the system. It also told us that, in the year ending 30 April 2024, it sent 2,795 messages and 24,072 surveys were completed.
It also uses data to understand the needs of all communities, including new and emerging ones, as well as other methods to consult with the public. These include police and communities together (PACT) meetings, surgeries and informal opportunities, such as Coffee with a Cop, bike-marking schemes and volunteer speed enforcement. The constabulary tracks this activity with an engagement planning tool and holds officers accountable through governance. It also uses social media, with the hashtag #YouSaidWeDid, as well as other media campaigns, to report back to communities on the action it takes.
The constabulary uses data effectively to understand vulnerability and antisocial behaviour, and to respond to problems
The constabulary uses Microsoft Power BI to present data dashboards for the workforce to use in problem-solving activity. These dashboards help officers and staff understand crime data, repeat problems, and victims and offenders in their area. This helps to inform their activity. Analysts can give more support if needed. The constabulary is also developing a dashboard for forces in the northwest of England and Wales to help recognise harm caused to victims and by offenders in particular locations. This is presented in an accessible format. Although it is in its early stages, it has potential for use in prevention activity.
The constabulary uses problem-solving and prevention activity well to address community concerns
The constabulary has a prevention strategy and a force-wide board, led by a chief officer, directing activity. A tactical group supports the strategy and a detailed tracker governs activity, showing the progress of the main priorities. Priorities are in place for a wide range of teams across the organisation – including crime teams, neighbourhood policing, criminal justice and human resources – involving the workforce more broadly in problem-solving activity.
Operation Vulture is an example of how the constabulary is putting this work into practice. Using lessons from the Operation Centurion approach to antisocial behaviour, it is taking a similar but adapted reduction approach to shoplifting – a constabulary priority crime and a national concern.
The constabulary uses scanning, analysis, response and assessment (SARA), a recognised model for problem-solving. Most of the members of the workforce we spoke to were trained in using it. We reviewed problem-solving plans and found some good examples, showing an understanding of the approach and successful outcomes. We also saw some effective practice in which QR codes help allocated officers quickly understand what they need to do, as well as giving useful information to the public.
The constabulary has an established antisocial behaviour and POP command. Problem-solving co-ordinators give tactical advice to neighbourhood policing teams and are instrumental in making sure there is a consistent approach. Partner organisations, such as local authorities, are also actively involved in problem‑solving alongside neighbourhood teams, and we saw examples of joint approaches to addressing community concerns.
The neighbourhood development team has given training in problem-solving and the new POP system to other investigative teams. We found positive examples of the constabulary using these approaches, such as: working in partnership through Operation Genga to tackle organised crime group activity; understanding domestic abuse in a local university; and the West Lancashire Spike Aware campaign, which won a problem-solving award. Disruption Continuum, which is examining the police response following serious violence and disorder, is in the early stages of development. This is positive because problem-solving and prevention aren’t the responsibility of neighbourhood policing alone.
The constabulary values volunteers and they make a positive contribution to policing activity
The constabulary told us that, at the time of our inspection, it had 468 cadets, 120 special constables and 200 other volunteers. It was recruiting more cadets and hoped to have another 232 in roles by September 2024. Special constables also make a positive contribution to local policing. Some also take on specialist roles. For example, working in the Safer Roads team to help to address antisocial behaviour involving off-road bikes. At the time of our inspection, the constabulary was recruiting more special constables. It aimed to take on around 40 recruits in two further intakes in 2024.
It also uses volunteers in restorative justice, cyber and digital roles, in the professional standards department, and as independent advisory group (IAG) members, including a youth IAG.
Outstanding
Responding to the public
Lancashire Constabulary is adequate 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 has effective oversight of its contact with the public and works towards continuous improvement
Lancashire Constabulary has changed its target operating model to help it better respond to calls and attend scenes. Effective governance is in place, including daily scrutiny. Performance meetings involve discussion about call answer times and abandonment, as well as the time it takes officers to arrive at incidents. BCU leaders can clearly explain daily performance and exceptions. These meetings work well to make sure the constabulary understands its performance, holds its leaders to account and continuously improves.
The constabulary can do more to make sure it answers all calls quickly so callers don’t hang up
The control room has a slider function in its call-handling system, which helps it flexibly switch resources between 999 and non-emergency call-answering to meet real-time demand. This helps control room supervisors make the best use of available resources.
In the year ending 30 June 2024, Lancashire Constabulary answered 83.9 percent of its 999 calls within 10 seconds. This is below the expected standard for England and Wales of 90 percent of calls answered within 10 seconds. Since the implementation of the target operating model, performance is improving. The constabulary understands the difference between BT data and its own, and it has looked at forces that perform well in this area to understand how to reduce this gap.
Figure 1: Proportion of 999 calls answered within 10 seconds by forces in England and Wales in the year ending 30 June 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 aims to answer non-emergency calls within 60 seconds and has an expectation that few calls are abandoned. The constabulary has an automated answer function, known as interactive voice response, with options to redirect callers, reducing the impact on the control room. The switchboard also redirects calls to the appropriate department.
The constabulary told us that, for the year ending 30 June 2024, 15.45 percent of calls to its non-emergency 101 number were abandoned after callers had spoken to the switchboard. As set out in the 2020 national contact management strategy principles and guidance, forces with a switchboard should aim to have an abandonment rate below 5 percent. The constabulary told us that, in the year ending 30 June 2024, the combined abandonment rate for all 101 calls directed to the control room was 1.4 percent. Senior leaders have a good understanding of this data. But the constabulary should make sure it is better able to answer and resolve non-emergency calls before callers hang up.
In most cases the constabulary identifies vulnerability in its calls for service
The constabulary provides vulnerability training for officers and staff in the control room and performance monitoring and quality assurance help to identify vulnerability and repeat callers. The command and control system also identifies repeat callers.
In our victim service assessment, we examined calls from the public to see whether the constabulary routinely identifies vulnerable and repeat victims. In the sample we reviewed, the constabulary carried out checks to identify repeat victims, in order to inform the risk assessment, in 77 of 87 relevant cases. When staff identified a repeat victim, they used the information gathered effectively in 33 of 34 cases. There was a check for a vulnerable victim and/or other person in 86 of 93 relevant cases. When staff identified a vulnerable person, they recorded it in 50 of 53 cases.
The constabulary has improved the way in which it gives crime scene preservation and crime prevention advice to callers
In our last inspection, we found control room operators didn’t always give appropriate crime scene preservation and crime prevention advice to callers or pass all relevant information to attending officers. This was an area for improvement. In this inspection, we found that call handlers gave appropriate advice on the preservation of evidence in 27 of 28 cases, and on crime prevention in all 30 cases we examined. We also found systems in the control room to give attending officers relevant information.
The constabulary has changed its risk assessment process in the control room to include these elements, and it works well. The constabulary now calls the process its THRIVE+ risk assessment, with the + representing crime prevention and scene preservation advice.
The constabulary has improved its use of risk assessments when attendance at incidents is delayed
After our last inspection, we issued an area for improvement stating that the constabulary should ensure control room staff use, and correctly record, structured risk assessments where police attendance has been delayed. The constabulary has invested in training and has introduced a re-THRIVE timer to alert staff and help them effectively reconsider risk when attendance is delayed.
We examined risk assessments in our victim service assessment. We found that structured risk assessments considered callers’ needs in 89 of the 92 cases assessed, and accurately reflected the circumstances in 87 of 89 cases. The constabulary focuses on attending emergency, priority and routine calls promptly – in 15 minutes for emergency calls, in 60 minutes for priority calls and in 8 hours for routine calls. This approach mitigates the need to reassess risk as delays are reduced.
In our victim service assessment, we found that when there was a delay in attendance, the constabulary updated the caller in eight of ten cases. Data on THRIVE+ and re-THRIVE is reported in the control room performance meeting and tracked daily. The constabulary’s use of re-THRIVE is positive, but some risk assessments are still basic. Victims awaiting attendance would benefit from a more detailed reassessment so the constabulary can identify and appropriately respond to any change in risk.
The constabulary meets its attendance times for emergency and priority calls
Leaders have a good understanding of the factors that contribute to attendance times. There are clear escalation processes and the immediate response officers we spoke to recognise this focus. Constabulary data for the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 shows an increase in attendance at emergency calls within target, from 82.6 percent to 96 percent over that period. For priority calls, the improvement is from 75.7 percent to 97.6 percent.
Officers assess vulnerability at initial response using the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour-Based Violence (DASH) risk identification, assessment and management model. In our victim service assessment, we found the constabulary completed vulnerability assessments in 37 of 42 relevant cases. Immediate response officers we spoke to confirmed they completed these in person. But we received feedback from people who review them that the quality of these assessments was mixed. The constabulary is providing domestic abuse training to officers, and this should improve DASH assessments.
Adequate
Investigating crime
Lancashire Constabulary is adequate 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 has effective governance to make sure it has the capability to carry out quality investigations and achieve appropriate outcomes for victims
Since our last inspection, the constabulary has implemented its target operating model to improve investigation quality and justice for victims. It has comprehensive governance arrangements, including daily scrutiny in management meetings, a weekly review group, an investigations standards board and strategic performance meetings.
The constabulary should have 1,037 full-time equivalent accredited detectives. On 31 March 2024, there was a shortfall of 281. Almost a quarter of the constabulary’s detectives (223) were still in training. It uses a skills matrix to post officers, so teams are balanced with a mix of accredited detectives and trainees. It has a pilot detective pathway for degree holders. Overseen by a detective inspector, trainees on this pathway have a tutor and work on real but supervised cases in investigator development units. This seems to work well. The constabulary is also increasing the trainee investigator programme frequency from yearly to six-monthly so it can recruit more quickly into detective roles.
There is a Microsoft Power BI dashboard that makes active investigations data visible to senior leaders. We received feedback that it doesn’t give a true reflection of the total demand on investigators. For example, it doesn’t account for case files, Crown Prosecution Service action plans and coroner’s files. The constabulary would benefit from broadening its workload view so it can always support investigators effectively.
The digital forensic unit has the capacity and capability to manage demand
The constabulary has trained the workforce to better understand cyber and digital forensic examination, with the aim of giving it confidence in the feasibility of retrieving evidence. It has a wide range of services to support investigations for victims, including digital media officers, major incident media officers, a cybercrime unit and a digital investigation unit. The digital media investigators are based in stations and provide frontline support to officers, using kiosks to examine devices.
The digital forensic unit understands its demand, and the investigations standards board oversees its performance. There is a defined process for digital examination requests and prioritisation takes account of risk. The constabulary told us it examines 91 percent of devices within the service-level agreement of 180 days. The average time from seizure to completion is 68 days. This is an improvement since June 2023, when more than 2,000 exhibits were awaiting examination. This means the constabulary can investigate cases more swiftly and, when it finds evidence, achieve justice for victims in a timely way.
The constabulary provides training to investigators and supervisors, but it could be more consistent for response investigation team supervisors
In summer 2023, the constabulary introduced response investigation teams (RITs). It put in place a training course for officers posted to those teams, as well as mandated training for golden hour enquiries, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (VCOP) and disclosure. It has also given sergeants training to build their skills in carrying out high-quality supervisor investigation reviews, making responsibilities clear. But we found that not all RIT sergeants have received the right training. For example, some, but not all, are trained in crime closure. The constabulary would benefit from making sure all RIT sergeants have access to appropriate training as they regularly review and direct volume crime investigations.
The constabulary has improved the quality of its investigations and the way they are supervised, but it can do more to make sure all victims benefit from this improvement
After our last inspection, we issued an area for improvement stating that the constabulary should make sure it carries out timely, proportionate and thorough investigations into reported crimes, with supervision where required.
It has taken steps to improve the supervision of investigations. As well as giving training and guidance to the workforce, it now uses an investigations supervision data dashboard to show performance. It uses quality assurance thematic testing to carry out reviews into investigation quality, tracking performance and reporting to senior leaders. As a result, the constabulary understands the effectiveness of its investigations and should make sure more victims receive both a good service and justice.
In our victim service assessment for this inspection, we reviewed a sample of investigations. Allocation was correct in 92 of 100 cases. Investigation plans were present in 63 of 76 cases, and those plans were followed and updated in 60 of those cases. There were few unjustified delays; none were due to forensic samples awaiting examination. Arrest times were appropriate in almost all cases, and we found effective supervision in 71 of 85 cases. Most investigations were proportionate and appropriate. Overall, 83 of 100 investigations were effective. We also found that officers considered pursuing a prosecution on behalf of victims when they didn’t support a prosecution in eight of nine cases.
The constabulary has addressed the area for improvement, but more can be done to make sure all investigations are effective and supervised well.
Most officer workloads are manageable, but there are higher levels of work in response investigation teams
In our inspection fieldwork, we examined investigator workloads. We found they were mostly manageable, with some exceptions. RITs have the highest workloads. The constabulary’s aspiration to have no more than 15 active investigations per officer was exceeded in several locations. Some officers in those teams had more than 40 active investigations, which makes it difficult to manage enquiries and victim contact well. We also found that some vulnerable adult team workloads are high.
The constabulary is taking action. It has changed its crime allocation policy to redress the balance, and chief officers have reiterated expectations that offences such as robbery are investigated by detectives. It also has an escalation and de-escalation process for line managers, so they can arbitrate and come to a consensus when investigation ownership needs to be resolved.
But RIT active investigations are still too high in some areas. In Blackpool, Blackburn and Chorley, we found several officers with active investigations above the recommended levels. The constabulary is taking further action. It has carried out a peer review of all RITs to learn how it can improve investigation numbers, processes and support for the workforce. This is positive news and should help the constabulary understand what works well and how to better balance workloads.
The constabulary is improving its support for victims of crime
Most officers and staff in relevant departments have completed the VCOP training the constabulary provides. It aims to give a clear understanding of victims’ rights and the action needed to support them well. This is a positive development and will help the workforce consider VCOP appropriately, thereby helping victims access their rights.
In our victim service assessment, we examined the support the constabulary gives to victims. In the sample of cases we reviewed, victims had their needs assessed and recorded in 63 of 76 cases. Where enhanced services were needed for vulnerable victim support, this was recorded in 46 of 57 cases. Victim contracts for investigation updates and contact were adhered to in 65 of 67 investigations. Where victims withdrew their support for an investigation, this was documented in 28 of 30 cases. Overall, 80 of 94 victims had a good service. This is an improvement since our last inspection and the area for improvement that we issued then has now been addressed. There is still more the constabulary can do, however, to make sure all victims receive good support.
Adequate
Protecting vulnerable people
Lancashire 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 has strategic governance for vulnerability, but it can enhance its strategy
The constabulary has an assistant chief constable-led vulnerability board, which scrutinises key vulnerability strands. This feeds into the deputy chief constable-led victim-focused review monthly meeting. Vulnerability tasking and co-ordinating groups in BCUs support the board. These groups are set up to promote safeguarding activity and improve performance.
The constabulary has a strategy to address violence against women and girls. Responsibility for this lies with the vulnerability governance unit, a partnership board and strategic governance through a chief officer-led board. Each pillar of the strategy has a tactical lead and there is a plan to promote activity. We examined this plan and found it had been updated with progress. Analysts support the strategy by drawing out relevant data for governance review.
We also reviewed the constabulary’s vulnerability strategy. It uses the College of Policing definition of vulnerability and highlights that it is everybody’s business. But we found that it didn’t reflect all strands of vulnerability. We were pleased to see all strands included in the updated version received in June 2024. But it would be beneficial to build on this, consider the victim’s voice and identify responsibility for each strand. Doing so would help the constabulary to translate its strategy into effective action and make sure the approach is clearly explained.
The constabulary consults victims for feedback, but it can do more to learn and improve its processes
The constabulary uses online and telephone surveys to obtain feedback from a range of victims. It analyses results from surveys and managers carry out service recovery when there is negative feedback. BCUs have service recovery single points of contact to support this. When victims give positive feedback, the constabulary passes it on to the relevant officers. Results are shared quarterly at the engagement board and are summarised at the investigations standards board. The constabulary also receives victim feedback through its multi-agency risk reduction assessment co-ordination process, independent domestic violence advisers and established IAGs in each BCU, which provide independent advice.
We observed the organisational learning board and found that domestic homicides and serious case reviews are discussed there, as well as national learning such as the Angiolini Inquiry. We heard discussion of a case study relating to the breach of an order and what could be learnt from it. But the constabulary would benefit from including more elements in its learning processes. For example, broader consideration of the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme and other victim feedback processes.
The constabulary doesn’t always manage risk assessments well and this affects the safeguarding of vulnerable people
Vulnerable person referrals – whether through DASH risk assessments, vulnerable adult or vulnerable child referrals – have to be registered to the MASH to be visible and reviewed. We found this doesn’t always happen. Officers don’t always complete risk assessments, and sometimes they aren’t registered correctly. We received feedback that risk assessments were of mixed quality, with limited quality assurance arrangements in place. We also found examples of assessments in which risk wasn’t accurately reflected and potential early safeguarding opportunities were missed. We raised these examples with the constabulary.
The force crime management unit allocates some crimes to officers for further investigation. Officers in the force crime management unit complete what is locally known as a ‘dummy’ DASH to allocate the crime record. This is a skeleton DASH which defaults to ‘no’ for each question. This is due to a crime recording system workflow need, and the use of language isn’t helpful.
Crimes aren’t always allocated immediately. This means there can be a delay in RIT officers carrying out the full risk assessment. We saw delays, with some cases arriving in the MASH 11 days after the incident. Some officers told us they sometimes carry out the DASH over the phone rather than in person, which is contrary to the constabulary’s policy.
When the force crime management unit registers the skeleton DASH to the MASH on allocating a crime, it causes duplication and confusion at the MASH when the full DASH is submitted. It provides no value to the safeguarding process and adds to the backlogs. The constabulary should take steps to make sure risk assessments are completed fully and swiftly to safeguard vulnerable people and protect them from further harm.
The constabulary’s new approach to multi-agency risk reduction assessment co-ordination is effectively managing demand and risk, and safeguarding victims
The constabulary is making changes to its multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) process. It has renamed it ‘multi-agency risk reduction assessment co‑ordination (MARRAC)’ to reflect the desire for risk reduction. It has set up a daily assessment panel in LCC MASH to bring better understanding of demand and risk. In summer 2024, it was broadening this approach. A detective sergeant holds the panel, alongside an independent domestic violence adviser, and it is bringing improvements. Meetings are booked one week in advance and held three times a week. This leads to timelier consideration of referrals and reduces delays.
There is a demand tracker dashboard, which shows the number of referrals and outcomes. It also helps the constabulary understand the quality of referrals, triaging out cases that are inappropriate at an early stage. The constabulary has developed a Power App to assist in the administration, allowing time to be booked for referrals within MARRAC meetings. A shared communication channel supports this, and it is used to store relevant information – for example, whether a case is a repeat and the rationale for referral. These developments are helping the constabulary effectively manage MARRAC demand.
Requires improvement
Managing offenders and suspects
Lancashire Constabulary is good 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 effectively manages outstanding offenders and suspects
The constabulary takes a robust approach to managing offenders and suspects. Led by a detective superintendent, the constabulary’s systematic and thorough Getting a Grip review gives it confidence in its data about the number of wanted people.
There are clear processes for wanted and high-risk offenders. During our inspection, we saw these processes in action. Risk and threat sergeants issue tasks daily to find high-priority offenders. Data about wanted people, foreign national offenders, warrants and forensic identifications receives weekly scrutiny at the investigations gold group meeting, and quarterly at the custody policy management group.
The data is visible through dashboards, giving easily accessible information to senior leaders and the rest of the workforce. Officers clearly understand the way the constabulary prioritises offenders and the need to pursue them effectively.
Officers understand the safeguarding purpose of bail and the constabulary has improved its processes to better record victims’ views
The constabulary has policies for bail, released under investigation (RUI) and voluntary attendance, and it scrutinises compliance through governance processes. The workforce understands the safeguarding purpose of bail and applies this understanding in investigations. Bail managers monitor bail and alert the relevant officers 14 days before the bail date and again at 7 days. Supervisors also monitor bail through investigation reviews. We received feedback from officers that they understood the support from bail managers and clearly understood their own responsibilities.
The constabulary recognises that officers don’t always ask for or record victims’ views when considering pre-charge bail. It has introduced a new process to improve this. Using a template form, an officer now gathers the victim’s views and records them, and the risk assessment, in the investigation log. There is an online video training package, with easy-to-follow guidance on how to do this and where to store the information. This is a positive development, which helps to make sure the constabulary considers victims’ views when deciding if bail is appropriate.
Some officers told us the constabulary has reduced its use of RUI. Bail can only be converted to RUI by bail managers upon an inspector’s approval. A data dashboard in Microsoft Power BI shows the constabulary how often it is using RUI, and there is a focus on decision-making and reducing the number of long-term open RUI cases. This is a positive development for the constabulary and follows its work on the Getting a Grip review.
Figure 4: Rolling 12 months’ use of pre-charge bail and released under investigation per 1,000 arrests for Lancashire Constabulary between the year ending 31 March 2022 and the year ending 31 March 2024

Source: Data collection and analysis from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
Note: Changes to the Bail Act came into force in October 2022, making the default position to use bail rather than RUI. We would expect to see use of bail increase and use of RUI decline across forces after this date.
The constabulary manages registered sex offenders well
At the time of our inspection, the constabulary was changing its model for the management of sexual offenders and violent offenders (MOSOVO) from a centralised team to three teams in different locations. We carried out our inspection with a view to revisiting some aspects once the new model had become established.
Lancashire Constabulary has 2,220 offenders in the community, with 287 on reactive management. All registered sex offenders are flagged on the record management system. This means offender managers know if registered sex offenders are involved in a crime. The constabulary could enhance this system by flagging the registered sex offender’s address on the command and control system. This would help the control room to identify the potential involvement of a registered sex offender in incidents. It would also allow risk assessments to be carried out more effectively and attending officers to be fully aware of potential registered sex offender involvement when they attend incidents. At the time of our inspection, workforce sickness meant some registered sex offenders didn’t have a manager. The leadership team is aware of this and is looking for solutions.
When we revisited the constabulary, we found an increase in overdue registered sex offender visits. This number had risen from 73 to 146, with an increase in overdue high-risk registered sex offender visits from 15 to 46. The constabulary is addressing this. It is using a new joint calendar scheduler for viewing visits that are due to take place. As at 24 July 2024, the constabulary told us overdue visits had reduced to 90, 18 of which are high-risk. This is good progress in a short amount of time.
The revisit also showed the constabulary is carrying out unannounced and double‑crewed visits. This is positive because it means registered sex offenders can’t take steps to prevent offences being detected. Compliance with reactive management cases and overall offender manager ratios are good. During our revisit, we also found the number of overdue active risk management system assessments was low (a reduction from 35 to 4), and risk management plans were of good quality with few overdue (a reduction from 32 to 3).
The constabulary has an app that helps community beat managers to know where registered sex offenders live. Officers in neighbourhood teams are familiar with the app and use it. They also have good relationships with MOSOVO teams and are involved in visits, which the community beat managers welcome.
The constabulary considers preventative powers and orders, as well as using technology to manage offender behaviour
The constabulary uses Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and other protective orders. It records all breaches as crimes, which is positive. The civil orders team supports officers with applications for relevant orders and this works well. There is also a good polygraph provision, which helps the constabulary effectively assess registered sex offender behaviour.
The constabulary is investing in triage software. At the time of our inspection, this wasn’t yet in place, meaning there was no triage capability for the MOSOVO team. Manual triage makes it more likely that relevant material for investigations will be missed. The constabulary would benefit from expediting this software. The constabulary is also planning to introduce bespoke continuing professional development focused on digital investigations and examining routers.
The constabulary manages online child abuse investigations well
There are good governance arrangements for the online child abuse investigation team (OCAIT). The constabulary also has appropriate tactical arrangements to manage risk. The team reviews cases as soon as they arrive at the constabulary, and again after it has developed intelligence. This is part of the constabulary’s policy. We found the team didn’t have a backlog of cases, and that it dealt with investigations as soon as they were ready.
The constabulary wasn’t flagging suspects on the record management system, but it has quickly addressed this gap. As a result, the investigating officer and wider workforce will know about any change in the suspect’s circumstances. This can inform the risk assessment if suspects are involved in crime.
We dip sampled seven cases during our inspection and found the constabulary is using the Kent internet risk assessment tool (KIRAT) well. It had completed assessments in all but one case we examined. That case had been quickly assessed as serious, and it took immediate action. In all the cases, officers carried out research to establish whether children were at risk. They contacted social services during the research phase, and also submitted referrals on the day of enforcement action.
The constabulary also considers safeguarding in respect of the suspect, using suicide risk assessments. In one case we viewed, the suspect was referred to drug support services for additional help. In the cases we sampled, we found bail conditions were applied, including no unsupervised contact with children. We also found wider safeguarding action was introduced to protect children.
The team grades all indecent images of childrenindecent images of children and the constabulary gives the workforce the right welfare support. At the time of our inspection, there was a backlog for uploads on to the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID), but the constabulary was addressing this. A dedicated officer has full access to CAID, but the constabulary would benefit from having further resilience in this area.
The constabulary has a clear process to make sure it isn’t missing first-generation images, while grading them proportionately. It also has a good understanding of cloud storage. Processes are in place to make sure any indecent images of children in the cloud are recorded as evidence before they can be deleted.
The constabulary could make better use of the powers available to manage online child abuse investigation team cases
The constabulary mostly uses arrest powers without a warrant when taking enforcement action in OCAIT cases. It has an experienced and knowledgeable team. But we were told of two occasions when officers had to walk away from a house without gaining entry and without speaking to the suspect. During our KIRAT dip sample, we found one case in which officers had to remain at an address while others visited a place of work to arrest the suspect. The constabulary would benefit from reconsidering this approach as it may lead to loss of evidence.
Good
Building, supporting and protecting the workforce
Lancashire Constabulary is good 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 has effective ways of understanding workforce well-being
The constabulary has good arrangements to help it understand what affects workforce well-being and stress. It has a health, safety and well-being board, chaired by a chief officer, as well as other meetings that help bring about effective conversations about resourcing, organisational decisions, and workforce policies and practice.
It has revised its corporate well-being structure and central human resources well‑being team, with a strategy to bring about improvement. It uses a variety of methods to understand what is affecting the workforce. It participates in the National Wellbeing Survey and runs workforce surveys. Chief officers attend roadshows, in which they meet and consult the workforce. It also has Air and Care sessions in some areas, which allow members of the workforce to raise issues affecting them. It plans to extend these sessions across the constabulary.
We spoke to officers and staff during our reality testing and found that, for the most part, workloads seem to be manageable. But we found there are some areas in which workloads are higher, whether through investigative demand or organisational gaps. We know the constabulary reviews workforce demands and capability through governance processes, and it is using its target operating model gap analysis to improve this.
The constabulary has a good range of initiatives to support workforce well‑being
The constabulary offers flexible working and we received feedback that working flexibly isn’t a barrier to promotion. It uses agile working, as well as an Understanding Me passport-style approach to help supervisors better support people according to their needs. It provides mental health training and has a network of 114 peer supporters, offering help to their colleagues. It also carries out skills audits and constabulary-wide analysis of training needs.
The constabulary also told us it has paid for 180 places in 2024 and 2025 at a Police Treatment Centre for physiotherapy and other treatments. It also offers recharge days to help members of the workforce decompress.
It supports assaulted officers using the Operation Hampshire model. It has a seven‑point plan and reviews incidents daily and through meetings. A quarterly tactical board also reviews detailed data to spot trends. Not everyone we spoke to recognised the approach by name, but they could describe the available support. Student officers were less aware of it, and it would build their confidence to know more about it. Officers told us chief officers contact them if they are assaulted. They see this as very positive.
The constabulary is enhancing its occupational health services, and the workforce feels supported
The constabulary is improving its occupational health services. It struggled to recruit nurses with occupational health unit (OHU) training, so it is now training new nurses to receive the right qualifications. It is commissioning a peer review by other services that have been assessed as excellent. It has also analysed its services to see where it can improve, but this work appears to be at an early stage. The constabulary is still working towards achieving the Occupational Health Foundation Standard, which had a national compliance date of March 2022.
The department has a psychological team that supports management referrals and self-referrals and offers psychological surveillance and therapy drop-in sessions. Therapists lead debriefs after traumatic incidents. We received positive feedback on these sessions. A clinical team carries out pre-employment medical screening, health surveillance and medical case conferences. It also oversees ill-health retirement.
The constabulary knew it had particularly high referrals to the OHU and considered that positive. We have seen recent data suggesting referrals are falling. In the year ending 31 March 2023, there were 2,435 referrals to the OHU. In the year ending 31 March 2024, these reduced to 1,765. The constabulary should understand why this is the case, so it can be confident the workforce has the support it needs. But it is positive that the average time from referral to appointment has fallen slightly. Data for the third and fourth quarters of 2023/24 shows the average at 21 days, whereas some referrals were taking up to 11 weeks in the fourth quarter of 2021/22.
We spoke to officers and staff about the service the OHU provides. They told us they felt informed about OHU services, that it supported their needs and that timely and appropriate interventions take place when needed.
The constabulary offers support to those in high-risk roles, but not all members of the workforce are clear about the process
The constabulary has listened to workers in high-risk roles. Mandatory counselling for those in high-risk roles wasn’t popular, so it made changes to find the right solution for the workforce. It now uses psychological screening questionnaires. Workers not in high-risk roles can self-refer. It reviews completed questionnaires so it can make an appropriate assessment and offer health and well-being support. This process started in January 2024 and is monitored at the health, safety and well-being board.
The constabulary now has six months of data and understands how well each team is completing assessments. Some teams are making better use of these assessments than others. We hope to see more teams using them as the process becomes fully accepted. We found not all people in high-risk roles were clear on the arrangements. The constabulary would benefit from explaining the process further, so the workforce is confident about the support on offer. This will help make the process fully understood by all people in high-risk roles.
The constabulary supports student officers, but it can take steps to make sure they all have consistently available tutors
The constabulary knows about the challenges student officers and new recruits face. Student officers have ‘moving on days’ to support inclusion in the workplace and regular workshops to air concerns. The constabulary also gathers their perspectives through a survey. We were told that, as a result of feedback, changes have been made. The learning and development team has organised time away from training to accommodate prayers, for example.
Student officers we spoke to were mostly positive about their well-being and their supervisors. Each BCU has a student development unit that offers support to new recruits. Recruits told us they consider the units to be helpful. Most had been introduced at their station before they started work, and they appreciated this.
Sergeants take time to understand student needs, spending time in the student development unit. But we also heard some frustrations, including about changes to permanent postings following training and the availability of tutors. The constabulary planned for this by allocating 12 more tutors and it has further resilience in place. But we also found that student officers can crew with a non-qualified response officer. This doesn’t effectively meet the student officers’ needs. The constabulary may wish to consider how to improve its tutor provision.
The constabulary also has 30 police community support officer tutors and plans to double this number. Meanwhile, the investigative development unit tracks trainee investigators as they progress and helps the constabulary make decisions on posting them according to their skills. These are positive initiatives offering support to those new in their roles.
The constabulary makes sure new recruits and the wider workforce feel welcome and included and uses a range of initiatives to retain new recruits
The constabulary offers support to neurodivergent members of the workforce. It has help in place to allow easy diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia, and it provides the relevant equipment when necessary. It also works with a local charity that supports people with autism and learning disabilities to enter the workplace. We received good feedback about this support which has helped some interns progress to permanent roles. The approach also promotes disability understanding.
The constabulary recognises that Police Uplift Programme recruitment has been intensive and that changing culture and behaviour takes time. It uses the Police Race Action Plan to support its activity and is taking action to foster an environment of appropriate challenge to negative behaviour. For example, by recognising microaggressions and by providing College of Policing training.
The People’s Voice cultural awareness programme also helps officers and staff communicate effectively and without bias. It is highly valued by the workforce.
The constabulary has an effective appraisal system that supports workforce development
The constabulary’s appraisal system, the professional development review, is now in its third year and is fully integrated. In the year ending 31 March 2024, 97 percent of the workforce had completed a professional development review. This is a year‑on‑year improvement since the year ending 31 March 2022, when 61 percent of the workforce had completed one. This is excellent.
Most officers and staff were positive about it. But some commented that it is more useful when an individual wants to achieve a promotion or a new role and that some people add more detailed information than others.
The system allows for discussing and recording training or development needs. It has a built-in feedback button, which means anyone can add praise or a performance comment. This is a good development. We saw evidence of this in our reality testing, as well as discussions about opportunities for development or training.
We also carried out a workforce survey. We found that 84.1 percent of respondents discussed their development needs at least yearly and 88.4 percent discussed meeting their objectives.
The constabulary supports under-represented groups, but this work may not always be fully understood by the workforce
The constabulary offers police officers and staff from under-represented groups help to develop and progress. It has introduced bespoke support for female officers as it recognises barriers to promotion. The constabulary told us there had been a 90 percent success rate in 2023 among those who took up the offer of this support.
It uses the College of Policing Fast Track programme and supports candidates from under-represented groups through staff networks and by using senior leader mentors. The chief constable has led sessions with officers and staff from ethnic minority backgrounds to understand and address their concerns.
The constabulary has an inclusive leadership programme for the constable‑to‑sergeant promotion process. The recruitment, onboarding, retention and exit working group helps monitor development pathways for fairness and consistency. The constabulary has asked the College of Policing to review its promotion processes for transparency.
But we also learned that positive action may not be fully understood by the wider workforce. The constabulary may wish to make sure the workforce recognises the role positive action plays in ensuring everyone can fulfil their potential.
Good
Leadership and force management
Lancashire Constabulary’s leadership and management is good.
Main findings
In this section we set out our main findings that relate to leadership and management.
The constabulary has effective governance and performance management processes that reflect its priorities and its communities’ needs
The constabulary has effective governance processes, reflecting communities’ needs, and local and national priorities. It understands what is important to its communities by gathering views through its Lancashire Talking initiative. Performance objectives align with the constabulary’s strategy. It has high-quality and reliable data and uses analysis well to measure progress against its priorities. It also has a good understanding of current performance and is steadily making improvements. Its force management statement (FMS), performance objectives and plans are all clearly aligned and help the constabulary achieve its goals.
But we found the FMS didn’t provide enough detail. This statement is a self‑assessment that forces prepare and submit to us each year. The constabulary’s FMS lacked the data to support its statements, assumptions and projections about the current and future risks it had identified. For example, the performance assessment had no comparisons with previous years, other similar forces or against national measures. We gave feedback to the constabulary about this, and we understand it is considering its approach for 2025.
The constabulary has a good level of investment in its leadership
The constabulary has assessed the capacity and capability of leadership at all levels and has clear plans to address gaps in practice. During our inspection, some members of the workforce told us senior leaders weren’t always very visible and didn’t always communicate well with them. The constabulary understands how the workforce perceives its leaders and had identified similar issues in its workforce survey. We were pleased to see it was already taking action to improve leadership standards.
Leaders have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Chief officers regularly hold large events with senior leaders across the constabulary to reinforce plans and organisational priorities, to discuss performance and to set expectations. These events help all leaders understand what they need to do.
The constabulary has a comprehensive leadership training programme called Leading the Way, which it developed in collaboration with Durham University. The training is specific to each leadership level and is designed to make sure leaders at all levels have the skills, abilities and capability they need to lead well in their roles. The constabulary also offers less formal training through regular continuing professional development events. It gives access to a range of other learning materials through its leadership hub, which it introduced in 2020.
The constabulary manages demand and can show it has the right resources to meet current and future needs
The constabulary makes effective use of data and information to make sure it has the capability and capacity it needs. This helps it meet current demands and community needs and prepare for future challenges. It has reviewed its operating model and implemented changes in 2023. The target operating model is helping it improve its performance and meet its priorities.
Effective systems make sure crimes are allocated to appropriately skilled officers and staff. But not all areas have the capacity they need to meet their demands. For example, we found that the RITs had high crime workloads. The constabulary knows its operating model needs some adjustments. To achieve these, it uses demand data effectively to make policy and workforce decisions. This helps it make sure it has capacity where it is most needed. Early on in our inspection, the constabulary had already made changes to the crime allocation policy to help reduce the demands on the RITs.
The constabulary also shows awareness about sources of internal demand and is taking action to reduce them through continuous improvement. It is investing in new software and technology to modernise its systems and processes. For example, in April 2024 it started using a new computer-aided facilities management system. This software helps the constabulary manage its buildings more effectively and efficiently. It removes manual processes, such as asking contractors to carry out repairs or maintenance. When the work is finished, the contractor can update the task electronically themselves. This reduces the amount of administration time and helps the constabulary increase its productivity and efficiently.
The constabulary is investing in its systems and processes to make the most of its resources and improve productivity
The constabulary continues to improve productivity and efficiency through digital, data and technology solutions, including mobile working. The constabulary has issued over 3,000 laptops to its officers to help them be more efficient.
It has made investments in IT and data systems, such as Microsoft Power BI, and these are now highly developed. These systems benefit from high-quality and reliable data, which the constabulary can trust because of the investments it has made in automated data cleansing.
The constabulary has also invested in its vehicles. It has fitted telematics, which are systems that gather data about how the vehicle is used and where it is. This allows the control room to deploy officers more effectively as they can identify the nearest vehicles to a call for service. The constabulary is also in the process of fitting in-vehicle CCTV to its entire fleet to improve safety and security. Both systems can be accessed remotely, which helps it use this data more efficiently.
The constabulary’s financial plans, including its investment programme, are affordable and will support it in meeting future demands
The constabulary can show it is looking for ways to reduce costs, attract additional external funding and increase value for money. It is innovative in its use of technology. This allows it to reinvest savings into further improvements or other priority areas. It has an effective approach to financial management. The forecasts in its mid-term financial plan are based on realistic assumptions about future funding and expenditure.
In the year ending 31 March 2024, Lancashire Constabulary received £370 million in funding. In line with other forces in England and Wales, it receives a combination of core grant from central government and local revenue raised through council tax precept. This contributed a total of £116 million to the total budget. This is about 31.4 percent of the constabulary’s total funding and is slightly lower than what most other forces receive from precept.
The constabulary received help from a 4.75 percent rise in the precept for 2024/25, which is an increase of £11.95 per band D property. This was allocated to increase visible policing and to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Despite this increase, the constabulary estimates it will have still a budget deficit of £3.4 million in 2024/25. It has a clear plan for efficiency savings. It has a strong track record of making savings and is confident its plans to realise a balanced budget are achievable.
The constabulary has an ambitious capital expenditure plan for 2024/25 and intends to invest £61.6 million. It will use this to invest in ICT, replace or improve police buildings, and replace some of its vehicles. It uses its reserves wisely and has £5.3 million of earmarked reserves to support its plans for investment. It also holds general reserves in the region of £11.5 million. This is about 3.2 percent of the constabulary’s net revenue budget and is considered an adequate amount.
Good
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).