Hertfordshire Constabulary: closure of cause of concern
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Letter information
From
Roy Wilsher OBE QFSM
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services
To
Chief Constable Andy Prophet
Hertfordshire Constabulary
Cc
Jonathan Ash-Edwards
Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire
Sent on
11 July 2025
Closure of cause of concern
I am writing to you to confirm we are closing the cause of concern we raised in our 2023‑25 police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection.
Cause of concern
The constabulary is failing to record reports of crime correctly
We estimate that Hertfordshire Constabulary is only recording 82.6 percent of all reported crime. Its performance is even worse for offences of violence against the person. We found it is recording only 75.7 percent of violence offences, with over half of unrecorded violent crimes being course of conduct crimes (harassment, stalking, and controlling and coercive behaviour). More than half of its unrecorded violent crimes are also domestic abuse cases.
We found 16 crimes associated with antisocial behaviour that should have been recorded but the constabulary had only recorded one of these. Failure to record a crime often results in a victim not being properly safeguarded. It means no investigation takes place. And it leaves people living in fear in their own homes while being victimised by neighbours or other people in the community.
The constabulary must improve how it records reports of rape. We found it hadn’t recorded 14 rape crimes correctly. Of these, six rape crimes hadn’t been recorded at all; one rape crime was incorrectly classified as another crime; and seven further rape crimes were incorrectly recorded as reported incidents of rape (N100). In addition, seven reported incidents of rape (N100s) should have been recorded but five were actually recorded. The constabulary must make sure that it records rape crimes and incidents correctly, and that victims receive the appropriate level of service from the police.
Recommendations
With immediate effect, the constabulary should:
- address gaps in the systems and processes for identifying and recording all reports made by victims of crime; and
- review crime-recording audit schedules and governance arrangements.
It should give particular attention to crimes of rape, behavioural crimes, violent crime related to domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour.
Within three months, the constabulary should:
- provide specific training for officers and staff on recording rape crimes and review processes to make sure it is recording correctly rape crimes and reported incidents of rape; and
- provide training for all supervisors, officers and staff who work in crime‑recording roles; this training should include the crime-recording requirements for violent crimes, such as behavioural crimes, assaults, domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour.
Progress
In April 2025, we completed an audit of crime-recording related to incidents reported to your constabulary. This involved selecting randomised samples from a two-month period, December 2024–January 2025. The results were compared with the results from the previous audit, which had used randomised samples taken from the three-month period September–November 2023. Although we used a shorter time period, the sampling and audit methodology were the same. This allows statistical comparison of the results to help understand the scale of any improvements.
We found clear signs of improvement. The constabulary is making progress in key areas of crime-recording, including crimes recorded after reports of antisocial behaviour and, very importantly, when victims report crimes of rape. But the constabulary needs to do more, particularly when victims report other sexual offences.
In our reinspection audit, we found statistically significant improvements in two of the three categories of crime we examined. We estimate that the constabulary is recording 92.6 percent (+/-2.7 percentage points) of all reported crime (excluding fraud), an improvement on our previous findings of 82.6 percent (+/-3.4 percentage points). For violent offences, we estimate that the constabulary is recording 90.4 percent (+/‑4.9 percentage points), compared to 75.7 percent (+/-6.2 percentage points) previously. Both these areas show statistically significant improvements.
However, for sexual offences, apart from rape crimes, the results show no improvement. We estimate the constabulary is recording 89.7 percent (+/-4.9 percentage points) of sexual offences, compared to 89.8 percent (+/-5.5 percentage points) previously. Accurately recording sexual offences is a key area of crime-recording. As a result, I am issuing the following area for improvement.
Area for improvement
The constabulary needs to improve how it records sexual offences
The constabulary is still failing to record sexual offences correctly. In 2025, we found that it should have recorded 107 sexual offences, but it had recorded only 98 correctly. Although the constabulary has improved how well it records rape crimes, we still found it hadn’t recorded some rape crimes and other sexual offences. It hadn’t correctly recorded other serious sexual offences, including sexual assault and sexual activity with a child. Failing to record these crimes can mean victims don’t receive the service from the police that they expect and deserve, and can result in offenders not being identified and brought to justice.
We also measured how long it took for the constabulary to record crimes once victims reported them. We found the constabulary was taking longer to record crimes, recording about 72 percent of crime within 24 hours. Previously, we estimated that it recorded about 83 percent of crime within 24 hours. Recording crime promptly is extremely important and avoids delays in starting an investigation. Victims need a crime record number and classification of crime to access the support services they may need.
We counted the number of rape crimes reported to Hertfordshire Constabulary in the two‑month sample period. We found 37 reports of rape crime had been made and that the constabulary recorded 33 crimes correctly. It had incorrectly classified two of the unrecorded rape crimes as other crimes. One was recorded as a reported incident of rape (N100) and another wasn’t recorded at all. In 2024, we reported that the constabulary had recorded only 26 of the 40 rape crimes we found. The constabulary’s recording of rape crimes has improved, but it needs to make sure that no rape crimes are missed or are incorrectly classified as other crimes.
We examined 70 cases involving vulnerable adults and child protection cases. We found that the constabulary should have recorded 20 crimes but had only recorded 14. In 2024, we found 22 out of 23 crimes were recorded correctly. Vulnerable victims and other agencies rely on the police recording crimes accurately, so correctly recording these crimes is extremely important. The constabulary needs to make sure it always correctly records crimes against the most vulnerable people in society.
We also examined 50 incidents that the constabulary had classified as antisocial behaviour personal. We determined that eight crimes should have been recorded, but only six were recorded. Both of the unrecorded crimes were crimes of harassment. In 2024, we found 16 crimes should have been recorded, but only one crime had been recorded. This shows an improvement in how well the constabulary records crimes when it receives reports of antisocial behaviour. But it needs to make sure that it records all crimes associated with antisocial behaviour correctly. If crimes aren’t recorded, victims may not be properly safeguarded and no investigation will take place.
Conclusion
I am pleased with the improvements in how Hertfordshire Constabulary records crime, although we have issued an area for improvement related to how it records sexual offences.
We recognise the considerable work that the constabulary has carried out to support these improvements. As a result, we have closed this cause of concern.
I congratulate you and your officers and staff for the continued improvement in this area.