Letter from HM Chief Inspector to Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner

Letter information

From
Andy Cooke QPM DL
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services

To
Jonathan Evison
Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside

Sent on
2 October 2024

I am writing to you ahead of the publication of the latest PEEL assessment of Humberside Police to express my concerns about the situation the force currently finds itself in.

HMICFRS continuously assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of all forces in England and Wales. But our PEEL reports, like all our inspection reports, necessarily reflect a snapshot in time. The forthcoming report rightly reflects on the hard work of officers, staff and volunteers, and is an accurate and balanced reflection of what our inspectors found.

However, since we conducted our inspection, the leadership of the force has undergone significant change. The previous chief constable retired at short notice and there has been an unsuccessful recruitment campaign for a replacement. I am aware of the imminent departure of another member of the chief officer group and other absences within senior roles. And the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is assessing allegations of misconduct within the force. I believe the cumulative impact of these issues means there is instability in the senior leadership of the force, something which causes me serious concern.

I carefully considered delaying the publication of our PEEL report so that we could reassess the impact of the current situation on the force’s performance. But ultimately, I have decided the report will be published as planned. It is important that our reports are published in a timely manner to keep the public up to date, give credit to the work of officers, staff and volunteers, and allow the force to make improvements.

Over the next few months, HMI Skeer intends to keep the performance of the force, and particularly its leadership and culture, under close scrutiny. This is likely to involve revisit activity and will necessitate working with yourself, the chief officers and others. I will also regularly review whether the performance of the force is affected to such an extent that more formal enhanced monitoring is required.

As you know, support is available to you and the force from the inspectorate, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), College of Policing and Home Office. I would encourage you to seek any additional support you might need. And as part of your role in holding the Acting Chief Constable to account, I would also encourage you to make sure they do the same.

I know that all those mentioned above are ready to help in your efforts to resolve the challenges the force is facing. Collectively, we want to help make sure that the force is efficiently and effectively serving the communities of Humberside, and that its officers, staff and volunteers are well led and working in a positive environment.

I am copying this letter to the Acting Chief Constable, as well as the Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention Minister, the Chair of the APCC, the Chair of the NPCC, the Chief Executive of the College of Policing and the Director General of the IOPC. When the report is published later this month, I plan to publish this letter alongside it to provide further context and balance.

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Letter from HM Chief Inspector to Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner