HMIC and HMICFRS Reports

• Reports for 2024
• Reports for 2023
• Reports for 2022
• Reports for 2020
• Reports for 2019

• Reports for 2018
• Reports for 2017
• Reports for 2016
• Reports for 2015
• Reports for 2014
• Reports for 2012 and 2013

10th October 2024

The policing response to antisocial behaviour:  PEEL spotlight report

This report focuses on the police response to antisocial behaviour. It also highlights examples of positive practice and joint working between the police and other organisations to address antisocial behaviour.

Evidene was drawn from academic research, national guidance and findings from:

• the police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) programme;
• force management statements (self-assessments that chief constables and their London equivalents prepare and give to us each year);
• a request for promising practice to all forces by the College of Policing; and
• publicly available data.

10th September 2024

An inspection into activism and impartiality in policing

In September 2023, the then Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to inspect the extent to which police involvement in politically contested matters may be having an impact on operational policing, by influencing policing policy, priorities and practice.

They explored how the police deal with politicised and contested matters and examined whether the police allow politics or activism to unduly influence them.

The inspection took place between October 2023 and December 2023, with field work being carried out in 12 police forces in England and Wales.

22nd August 2024

An inspection report on progress to introduce a national operating model for rape and other serious sexual offences investigations in early adopter police forces

In a new report, HMICFRS has assessed the progress of Operation Soteria, an unprecedented programme designed to transform how the police handle rape and serious sexual offences. It aims to lead to better outcomes for victims, including through the use of intelligence, analysis and digital forensics.

State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2023

This is His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s report to the Secretary of State, under section 54(4A) of the Police Act 1996. It contains his independent assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in England and Wales. It is based on the inspections carried out between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.

This report draws on findings from inspections of police forces in England and Wales, to provide an overall view of the state of policing.

Report on the Criminal Justice Alliance's super complaint - Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and independent community scrutiny of stop and search

In May 2021, the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) submitted a super-complaint.

Section 29A of the Police Reform Act 2002 defines a super-complaint as a complaint where “a feature, or combination of features, of policing in England and Wales by one or more than one police force is, or appears to be, significantly harming the interests of the public”.

The super-complaint system is designed to examine problems of local, regional or national significance that may not be addressed by existing complaints systems. The process for making and considering super-complaints is set out in the Police Super-complaints (Designation and Procedure) Regulations 2018.

The super-complaint, entitled ‘More harm than good’, raises the CJA’s concerns about “harms caused by ‘suspicion-less’ stop and searches and inadequate scrutiny of stop and search powers”

An inspection of the effectiveness of the police and law enforcement bodies’ response to group-based child sexual exploitation in England and Wales

Group-based child sexual exploitation has a devastating effect on children and their families. It shouldn’t be underestimated how complex and challenging these crimes are to prevent and investigate, and the police can’t tackle them alone. The police, law enforcement bodies, government departments and child protection agencies need to work together effectively to protect children from harm and bring offenders to justice.

The purpose of this inspection was to establish how well the police and law enforcement bodies understand and respond to group-based child sexual exploitation. 

Race and Policing:  A review of the police service’s leadership and governance arrangements for race-related matters

In July 2021, the Home Affairs Committee published The Macpherson Report:
Twenty-two years on. The committee considered the role that had played in assessing
the police’s progress in addressing the recommendations made by the Stephen
Lawrence Inquiry. It concluded:

“It has been far too long since the inspectorate conducted a thematic review on race. There is an urgent need for HMICFRS to address race directly in its inspections.”

The committee recommended that a series of inspection should be carried out of race
and policing to start in 2022. This short review is the first inspection in that series.
It considers the effectiveness of the national leadership and governance arrangements
that relate to race and policing.

An inspection of the police contribution to the prevention of homicide

This inspection examined how effectively the police understood, and contributed to the prevention of, homicides.

A thematic inspection was conducted of homicide prevention, jointly supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct. In that inspection, the following was examined:

• how effectively forces understand the pattern of homicide in their areas, including the underlying causes and risks; and
• how effectively forces contribute to the prevention of homicides, including how they use the homicide prevention framework.

This report sets out the findings.

An inspection of how effective police forces are in the deployment of firearms

HMICFRS found that there are good selection processes for firearms officers, and officers are well-trained and well-equipped.

However, the inspectorate said improvements need to be made in the selection and training of strategic and tactical firearms commanders because they manage a high degree of risk.

HMICFRS has made 12 recommendations to help policing improve. These include:

• a review of the strategic firearms commander course to ensure candidates have enough opportunities to learn and practise skills;
• introducing new entry criteria for strategic and tactical firearms commanders, similar to the process used to select public order commanders;
• sharing of armed policing exercises to allow opportunities for learning to be identified and shared; and
• improving record keeping in relation to armed operations and introducing regular auditing of these records.

Police Performance - Getting a Grip

In a new report HMICFRS has highlighted police forces’ progress in recording crime, increasing from an estimated 80.5 per cent of all crime being recorded (excluding fraud) in 2014 to 92.4 per cent at the end of 2021/2022 inspections.

However, the inspectorate has found that too many forces are failing to properly understand and manage their own performance, meaning they don’t know what issues are most important to tackle and where and how they can improve.

An inspection of how well the police and National Crime Agency tackle the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children

An inspection on the police response to online child sexual abuse and exploitation was made between February and August 2022.

The terms of reference addressed the following question:

• How effective are police forces, the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units at identifying and safeguarding children affected by online sexual abuse and exploitation?

The inspection also assessed how effectively these organisations prevented and investigated this type of crime. 

As a result 17 recommendations were made aimed at improving the consistency of the police’s approach and the timeliness of their investigations, reducing the availability of child sexual abuse material, and getting better outcomes for children.

An inspection of how well the police tackle serious youth violence

In 2018, the Home Office published its Serious Violence Strategy, setting out its
response to increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide. It stated its approach
wasn’t focused on law enforcement alone, but “depends on partnerships across a
number of sectors such as education, health, social services, housing, youth services
and victim services”.

The following year, the Home Office provided funding for 18 violence reduction
units (VRUs). (In some force areas, these units are known as violence reduction
partnerships. In this report, we use the term violence reduction unit.)
Despite this, the lives of far too many children and young people in England and
Wales are blighted or cut short by violence, especially knife-enabled crime.

An inspection of the east midlands regional response to serious and organised crime

How the police respond to victims of sexual abuse when the victim is from an ethnic minority background and may be at risk of honour-based abuse:  Report on the Tees Valley Inclusion Project’s super-complaint

Tees Valley Inclusion Project (TVIP) is concerned about the police response to ethnic minority victims of sexual abuse who may be at risk of honour-based abuse. In its super-complaint, TVIP says there are nine features of policing that are causing significant harm to these victims.

Detailed findings are set out in the report which can be downloaded as a pdf (click the link above) or can be read online:  https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/report-on-tees-valley-inclusion-project-super-complaint/

An inspection into how well the police and other agencies use digital forensics in their investigations

In this inspection, the provision of digital forensics in police forces and regional organised crime units was examined. It was considered whether they understood and could manage their demand, and whether victims of crime were receiving a quality service.

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science, which includes the recovery and examination of digital devices. Today most, if not all, crimes have some form of digital footprint. It was found that the demand for digital forensic examinations was increasing year on year, and in some cases outstripped the capacity of forces to respond effectively.

An inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service

Following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, the then Home Secretary commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) under section 54(2B) of the Police Act 1996 to assess current vetting and counter-corruption capacity and capability in policing across England and Wales. This was to include forces’ ability to detect and deal with misogynistic and predatory behaviour.

They were asked to consider current vetting (and re-vetting), arrangements for transferees, whistleblowing arrangements, the work of counter-corruption units and, where relevant, wider Professional Standards Departments.

Police perpetrated domestic abuse: Report on the Centre for Women's Justice super complaint

In March 2020 the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), working with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, submitted a super-complaint alleging that forces were not responding appropriately to cases of domestic abuse involving police officer or police staff suspects.

Detailed findings are set out in the report which can be downloaded as a pdf (click the link above) or can be read online: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/police-perpetrated-domestic-abuse-report-on-the-centre-for-womens-justice-super-complaint/

PEEL: Police effectiveness efficiency and legitimacy 2021/22

The inspection assessed how good Leicestershire Police is in ten areas of policing as well as how effective a service Leicestershire Police gives to victims of crime.

Detailed findings are set out in the report which can be downloaded as a pdf (click the link above) or can be read online: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/peel-assessments/peel-assessments-2021-22/leicestershire/

Report on unnanounced visit to police custody suites in Leicestershire

This inspection into Leicestershire Police is one of a series on police custody inspections carried out jointly by HMI Prisons and HMICFRS. The programme looks at strategy, treatment and conditions, individual rights and health care. It also contributes to the UK’s response to its international obligation to ensure regular and independent inspection of all places of detention.

PEEL:  Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy 2018/19

In 2018/19, HMICFRS adopted an integrated PEEL assessment (IPA) approach to  
their existing PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspections.  IPA combines into a single inspection the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy areas of PEEL. These areas had previously been inspected separately each year.

Fraud:  Time to Choose - an inspection of the police response to fraud

In 2018, the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to carry out an inspection of the police response to fraud. HMICFRS inspected the effectiveness and efficiency of the police response to fraud, including online fraud.

This inspection which was commissioned by the Home Secretary took place between March and July 2018 and looked to assess whether:

• law enforcement has a well-designed strategy for tackling fraud;
• organisational structures provide the necessary capacity, capabilities and partnerships; and
• victims of fraud receive a high-quality response.

Crime Data Integrity re-inspection 2018

In May 2017, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) conducted a crime data integrity inspection of Leicestershire Police.

The report of this inspection was published in September 2017 and concluded that the force’s crime-recording arrangements were not acceptable. As a result, the force were given an overall judgment of inadequate.

The 2017 report gave numerous recommendations and areas for improvement aimed at improving crime recording in Leicestershire Police. This re-inspection, completed in October 2018, assessed the progress made since that report.

PEEL: Police effectiveness 2017

HMICFRS adopted an interim risk-based approach to inspection in 2017 in order to focus more closely on areas of policing where risk to the public is most acute.  Under this approach, not all forces are assessed against every part of the PEEL effectiveness programme every year.  Leicestershire Police was assessed against the following areas in 2017:

•    Investigating crime and reducing re-offending;
•    Protecting vulnerable people; and
•    Specialist capabilities.

PEEL: Police legitimacy (including leadership) 2017
As part of its annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS)1 assesses the legitimacy and leadership of police forces across England and Wales.

Police legitimacy – a concept that is well established in the UK as ‘policing by consent’ – is crucial in a democratic society. The police have powers to act in ways that would be considered illegal by any other member of the public (for example, by using force or depriving people of their liberty). Therefore, it is vital that they use these powers fairly, and that they treat people with respect in the course of their duties.

PEEL: Police efficiency (including leadership) 2017
As with all public services, the police service must operate in a way that makes the most of its available resources. To do this, police forces must understand what their demand is – by which we mean what work they can reasonably predict they will have on any given day – and ensure that they have the resources they need, in the right place, to meet that demand. To stay efficient they must have good, realistic and evidence-based plans for the future. Our efficiency inspection assessed all of these areas during 2017.

As part of the 2017 inspection, we also integrated aspects of leadership into our assessment of efficiency, as the two areas are closely linked. We assessed how police leaders are driving innovation in policing, within their own forces and further afield. We also inspected how well forces are planning for the future with regards to their leadership.

Crime Data Integrity Inspection 2017

HMIC has undertaken a programme of work over a number of years to test whether crimes are being recorded by the police when they should be and categorised correctly.

On Friday 6 November 2015, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Thomas Winsor, wrote to all chief constables and police and crime commissioners to inform them about how HMIC will inspect forces’ crime-recording practices in future. Forces’ crime data integrity will be inspected in a rolling programme of every force in England and Wales over a number of years

National Child Protection Inspection

Protecting children is one of the most important tasks the police undertake. Only the police can investigate suspected crimes, arrest perpetrators and monitor sex offenders. Police officers have the power to take a child who is in danger into a place of safety, or to seek an order to restrict an offender’s contact with children. The police service also has a significant role working with other agencies to ensure the child’s protection and well-being, longer term.

This inspection examined child protection in Leicestershire Police in January 2017. It is part of a rolling programme of inspections of all police forces in England and Wales.

PEEL:  Police effectiveness 2016

As part of their annual inspections of police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMIC assessed how effective police forces are at keeping people safe and reducing crime. This inspection focused on five areas of policing.

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2016

The inspection looked at:

• the extent to which forces treat people with fairness and respect;
• the extent to which they ensure their workforces act ethically and lawfully; and
• the extent to which those workforces themselves feel they have been treated with fairness and respect by the forces.

PEEL: Police leadership 2016

Police leadership is crucial in enabling a force to be effective, efficient and legitimate. This inspection focused on how a force understands, develops and displays leadership through its organisational development.

Leicestershire Value for Money Profile - 2016

The Value for money (VfM) profiles provide comparative data on a wide range of policing activities. For instance: does your force spend more or less than other similar forces? Does it receive fewer or more 999 calls? How does the crime rate differ from other force areas?

PEEL: Police efficiency 2016

As part of its annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMIC assesses the efficiency of police forces across England and Wales.

Forces need to continue to make efficiencies and invest resources wisely in order to maintain a focus on reducing crime and keeping their communities safe. HMIC considers that a police force is efficient if it is making the best use of its resources to provide policing services that meet expectation and follow public priorities, and if it is planning and investing wisely for the future.

Missing Children: Who Cares? The police response to missing and absent children

Each year thousands of children go missing from their homes. Although the majority of them return home or are found soon after, all children who go missing are potentially at risk of harm, and a significant number, because of their circumstances, will face the risk of sexual, criminal or economic exploitation.

Responding to missing incidents places a high demand on police time, but the consequences of not investigating cases can be extremely serious, leaving some children at risk of exploitation and/or significant harm.

State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2015

This is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s report to the Secretary of State under section 54(4A) of the Police Act 1996. As required by that section, it contains his assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in England and Wales in respect of the inspection year 2015.

This reporting period has seen the first complete cycle of PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspections, which consider the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces, and assess the legitimacy of how they discharge their obligations (that is, how they behave and treat people). These inspections provide a comprehensive analysis of the way in which each police force in England and Wales has performed, and will continue to do so on an annual basis.

PEEL: Police effectiveness 2015 - Leicestershire Police

As part of its annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMIC’s effectiveness programme assessed how effective the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. This inspection focused on four aspects of policing: preventing crime and anti-social behaviour; investigating crime and managing offenders; protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims; and tackling serious and organised crime.

Sir Clive Loader's Response 

PEEL: Police legitimacy 2015 - Leicestershire Police

As part of its annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMIC’s legitimacy programme assessed how legitimate the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime. The inspection focused on whether a force was consistently behaving in a way that is fair, reasonable, effective and lawful, and if it has the consent of the public. HMIC assessed legitimacy at a force level, as well as drawing out overarching themes on a national level which are set out in the national overview.

Increasingly everyone's business:  A progress report on the police response to domestic abuse

In March 2014, HMIC published Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse. This report found significant weaknesses in the service provided to victims of domestic abuse, and made a series of recommendations aimed at helping forces to improve.

Between June and August 2015, as part of its PEEL: Effectiveness inspection programme, HMIC visited every police force in England and Wales to assess the progress they had made in responding to and protecting victims of domestic abuse since ‘Everyone’s business’ came out. 

PEEL:  Police effectiveness 2015 (Vulnerability)

HMIC’s vulnerability inspection examined the overall question, ‘How effective are forces at protecting from harm those who are vulnerable, and supporting victims?’. We have considered in depth how forces respond to and support missing and absent children and victims of domestic abuse, and assessed how well prepared forces are to respond to and safeguard children at risk of sexual exploitation.

Response

The depths of dishonour: Hidden voices and shameful crimes - An inspection of the police response to honour-based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation

This is the first HMIC inspection to focus on honour-based violence. Our findings are set out in the report, which also contains recommendations for the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs Council, chief constables, and the College of Policing. 

Regional Organised Crime Units

Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide a range of specialist policing capabilities at a regional level, which help forces to tackle serious and organised crime effectively. As part of the autumn 2015 inspection of all police forces in England and Wales, HMIC examined the capabilities and effectiveness of ROCUs in tackling serious and organised crime. The findings of these inspections are laid out in this report. 

Leicestershire Value for Money Profile 2015

The Value for money (VfM) profiles provide comparative data on a wide range of policing activities. For instance: does your force spend more or less than other similar forces? Does it receive fewer or more 999 calls? How does the crime rate differ from other force areas?

Witness for the Prosecution: Identifying victims and witness vulnerability in criminal case files

This report sets out the findings of a review of the quality of criminal case files. It examines how effective the police are in providing accurate information of the circumstances of the case, identifying the vulnerability of victims and witnesses, and assessing and managing risks so the needs of witnesses and victims are met.

PEEL:  Police efficiency 2015

As part of a new annual inspection of police forces in England and Wales, HMIC has published a thematic and individual force reports on the findings of inspections of policing efficiency. The reports are concerned with the question: How efficient are the police at keeping people safe and reducing crime?

Online and on the edge:  Real risks in a virtual world

Dealing with child sexual exploitation in a virtual world requires a different style of policing from the conventional methods of the past. This report sets out findings from an inspection of the police service’s efforts to tackle online child sexual exploitation, and concludes that forces need to better understand the nature and potential scale of this type of offending to ensure that more is done to protect children from harm, and bring perpetrators to justice.

In harm's way:  The role of the police in keeping children safe

In early 2014, HMIC began a national programme of child protection inspections. Since then, it has also undertaken a number of other inspections concerning vulnerable children. This report summarises the findings contained in the reports of all these inspections and considers the implications for future action.

Stop and search powers 2:  are the police using them effectively and fairly?

This report sets out the findings of an inspection into the progress made by forces since HMIC’s 2013 report, Stop and Search Powers: Are the police using them effectively and fairly? It also addresses the Home Secretary’s new commission for HMIC to examine the way the police use powers to stop motor vehicles and strip search people.

Leicestershire - Joint Inspection of Police Custody Suites

This report is one of a series on police custody inspections carried out jointly by HMI Prisons and HMIC. The inspections look at strategy, treatment and conditions, individual rights and health care. They also contribute to the United Kingdom’s response to its international obligation to ensure regular and independent inspection of all places of detention.

The Welfare of vulnerable people in police custody

In January 2014, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC to conduct a thematic inspection on the welfare of vulnerable people in police custody “including, but not limited to, those with mental health problems, those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and children”.

Integrity matters: an inspection of arrangements to ensure integrity and to provide the capability to tackle corruption in policing

This report sets out our findings on the arrangements that police forces have in place to ensure police act honestly and with integrity, and on the capability of police forces in England and Wales to respond to complaints, internal reports and intelligence about misconduct and corruption.

Girls in the Criminal Justice System - a joint report

This report reflects the findings of HM Inspectorate of Probation, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, Care and Social Service Inspectorate Wales. The inspection focused on how effective youth offending services and secure establishments were in: helping to stop girls offending, reducing the risk of harm girls present to other people and helping to make girls less vulnerable.

An inspection on the effectiveness and efficiency of the single counter-terrorism grant in the East Midlands

In June 2014, the East Midlands PCCs asked HMIC to inspect the effectiveness and efficiency of the single counter-terrorism grant arrangement at the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. The East Midlands region comprises the police forces of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

Crime Inspection Report 2014

This inspection looks at how effective police forces are at cutting crime. The public expects the police to reduce, prevent and investigate crime, bring suspects to justice and, with other services and agencies, care for victims. Victims are at the heart of this inspection and are entitled to a service from the police. This service includes regular information about their case as well as the opportunity to provide an impact statement and have their say on potential criminal justice outcomes.

Police Integrity and Corruption

This inspection was designed to focus on the arrangements in place to ensure those working in police forces act with integrity.

State of policing:  the annual assessment of policing in England & Wales 2013/14

This is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s report to the Secretary of State under section 54(4A) of the Police Act 1996. As required by that section, it contains his assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in England and Wales in respect of the inspection year 2013/14.

Crime-recording:  Making the victim count

In its 2013/14 inspection programme, approved by the Home Secretary under section 54 of the Police Act 1996, HMIC committed to carry out an inspection into the way the 43 police forces in England and Wales record crime data.

HMIC examined and assessed the integrity of crime data in each force. They focused their examination around three broad themes: leadership and governance; systems and processes; and the people and skills involved. They looked at how each force applied the standards and rules for crime-recording laid down by the Home Office; how police culture and behaviours affect recording; how victims of crime are being served by police crime recording practices; and how the police use out-of-court solutions such as cautions, cannabis warnings, community resolutions and penalty notices for disorder when dealing with offenders.

This inspection, carried out between February and August 2014, was the most extensive of its kind that HMIC has ever undertaken into crime data integrity. This is the final report of that inspection.

Strategic Policing Requirement

The Strategic Policing Requirement was issued in July 2012. It set out the Home Secretary’s view of the national threats that the police must prepare for and the appropriate national policing capabilities that are required to counter those threats.

In September 2013, 18 forces were inspected as part of a three-year programme to examine the arrangements that forces have in place to meet the strategic policing requirement. 

Leicestershire Value for Money Profiles - 2014

The Value for money (VfM) profiles provide comparative data on a wide range of policing activities. For instance: does your force spend more or less than other similar forces? Does it receive fewer or more 999 calls? How does the crime rate differ from other force areas?  

The profiles are based on data provided by the police.

An Inspection of under cover policing in England and Wales

In June 2013, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC to inspect the effectiveness of the arrangements in place in all police forces to carry out, manage and scrutinise undercover operations. Their inspection was to include all regional and national policing units, and the National Crime Agency. This was not an inquiry into the past events that have caused widespread concern about the way the police use undercover tactics; these past events fall to others to examine. The inspection has examined how well undercover policing is carried out now.

Core business

This report examines all 43 police forces in England and Wales. It looks at three principal aspects of day-to-day policing: the prevention of crime; how crime is investigated and offenders are brought to justice; and freeing up and using police time more efficiently (which includes the use of modern technology). The report merges three complementary inspections into a single assessment.

Crime Data Integrity

In its 2013/14 inspection programme, approved by the Home Secretary under section 54 of the Police Act 1996, HMIC committed to carry out an inspection into the way the 43 police forces in England and Wales record crime data. This inspection, carried out between February and August 2014, was the most extensive of its kind that HMIC has ever undertaken into crime data integrity.

Responding to Austerity

The efficiency and effectiveness of the police depend on forces having the resources they need to prevent crime, catch criminals and keep communities safe. When the 20 percent reduction to the central government funding grant was announced in October 2010, HMIC committed to inspecting the forces’ responses, and the effect this is having on the service they provide to the public, as part of our remit of inspecting the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces in England and Wales.

This report contains the findings of the fourth year of valuing the police inspections, with data collected and forces inspected between March 2014 and June 2014.

The Strategic Policing Requirement - An inspection of how police forces in England and Wales deal with threats to public order

This is one of three reports about how forces comply with the Strategic Policing Requirement (published by the Home Office in July 2012), being published by HMIC this year. It examines how well the police service has met the requirements of the Strategic Policing Requirement in relation to the threat to public order.

The Strategic Policing Requirement - An inspection of how police forces in England and Wales deal with threats of a large scale cyber-crime incident (including criminal attack)

This is one of three reports about how forces comply with the Strategic Policing Requirement (published by the Home Office in July 2012), being published by HMIC this year. It examines how well the police service has met the requirements of the Strategic Policing Requirement in relation to the threat of a large-scale cyber incident (including criminal attack).

The Strategic Policing Requirement:  An inspection of the arrangements that police forces have in place to meet the Strategic Policing Requirement

This inspection examined how well police forces have established the arrangements that the Strategic Policing Requirement requires them to have in place to counter a number of specified threats to national security and public safety. It is based on data and documentary evidence provided by all 43 police forces in England and Wales in July 2013. It includes supporting fieldwork, conducted in 18 forces, and in nine Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs).

Our reports on how the police service deals with threats to public order and of a large-scale cyber incident include relevant material from this report in addition to more specific information on these two themes.

State of policing:  the annual assessment of policing in England & Wales 2012/13

The Police Act 1996, requires Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary to report each year on his assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in England and Wales.

The assessment covers the full breadth of policing work inspected by HMIC throughout 2012/13, and an overview of police forces in England and Wales. The report opens with an essay by HM Chief Inspector, on his thoughts on policing for the last year drawing on his experience in his role, and HMIC inspections. The essay addresses the financial challenge faced by forces, the demand for the services of the police and the changing nature of crime, crime prevention, the role of police and crime commissioners and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary’s role in inspecting forces.

Leicestershire Police's approach to tackling domestic abuse

In September 2013, HMIC was commissioned by the Home Secretary to inspect the police response to domestic violence and abuse. The report, Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse found that, while most forces and police and crime commissioners have said that domestic abuse is a priority for their areas, this isn’t being translated into an operational reality. HMIC is concerned to find that, despite the progress made in this area over the last decade, not all police leaders are ensuring that domestic abuse is a priority in their forces – it is often a poor relation to other policing activity.

A joint inspection of the treatment of offenders with learning disabilities within the criminal justice system

The report, ‘A joint inspection of the treatment of offenders with learning disabilities within the criminal justice system: phase 1 from arrest to sentence’, reflects the findings of HM Inspectorate of Probation, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Care Quality Commission. The inspection covered activity at police stations, the prosecution and court process, pre-sentence report preparation and the assessment and planning undertaken at the start of the community order.

Leicestershire Value for Money Profile 2013

The Value for money (VfM) profiles provide comparative data on a wide range of policing activities. For instance: does your force spend more or less than other similar forces? Does it receive fewer or more 999 calls? How does the crime rate differ from other force areas?

Working Together:  A review of the arrangements for collaboration between the five East Midlands police forces

In July 2013, the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) for the East Midlands region (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire) commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a review of the arrangements for collaboration between the five forces in the region. 

Leicestershire Police's response to the funding challenge

In October 2010, the Government announced that central funding to the Police Service in England and Wales would reduce by 20% in the four years between March 2011 and March 2015.

HMIC’s Valuing the Police Programme has tracked how forces are planning to make savings to meet this budget demand each year since summer 2011. This report identifies what we found in this third year.

Response

Policing in Austerity: Rising to the challenge

In the October 2010 spending review, the Government announced that central funding to the police service in England and Wales would be reduced in real terms by 20% in the four years between March 2011 and March 2015.

HMIC’s Valuing the Police Programme has tracked how forces have planned to make savings to meet this budget reduction, and published findings in July 2011 and June 2012. This report explains, analyses and makes recommendations in relation to what we found as we entered the third year of the spending review period.

Getting Cases Ready for Court:  A joint review of the quality of prosecution case files by HMIC and HMCPSI

An efficient criminal justice system is dependent upon the effective exchange of information between all the relevant agencies. Nowhere is this exchange more important than in the context of the relationship between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when preparing a case for court. Effective management of the process of building a prosecution case file can improve the quality of the files, and keep the inevitable paperwork associated with the passage of a case through the criminal justice system to a minimum.

Response

Stop and Search Powers:  Are the police using them effectively and fairly?

The summer riots of 2011 once again focused attention on the way police use stop and search powers. As a result of this renewed concern, in December 2011 the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC to carry out an inspection into the use of stop and search legislation by police forces in England and Wales.

A Criminal Use of Police Cells?  The use of police custody as a place of safety for people with mental health needs

The police have powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take individuals who are suffering from mental health issues in a public place to a ‘place of safety’ for their protection, and so they can be medically assessed.

This review examines the extent to which police custody is used as a place of safety under section 136; and identifies the factors which either enable or inhibit the acceptance of those detained under section 136 into a preferred place of safety, such as a hospital or other medical facility.

Revisiting police relationships: progress report

In 2011, we published Without Fear or Favour, which looked at instances of undue influence, inappropriate contractual arrangements and other abuses of power in police relationships with the media and other parties. While we found no evidence of endemic corruption in police relationships, we did not issue a clean bill of health. This revisit found that, while forces have made some progress, particularly around putting in place processes and policies to manage threats to integrity, more needs to be done.