West Midlands Police defends crime recording systems after inspection

At face value, it would appear West Midlands Police's crime recording systems must have seriously deteriorated in just three years.

The force has this week been criticised by a watchdog for failing to record thousands of alleged offences – including reports of rape.

And serious shortcomings could leave victims at more risk of harm, according to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.

However, police chiefs have hit back at the findings, which claimed 38,000 crimes reported to the force went unrecorded each year.

The bombshell report which rated West Midlands Police ‘inadequate’ for crime recording has sparked a strong response from one of the force's top cops – and a vow to further bolster crime recording processes.

The 'crime data integrity' report, based on analysis of crime reports from July to December 2016, ranked the force as ‘inadequate’.

Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said the 38,000 figure is 'certainly not accurate' and a large number of incidents had in fact been recorded 'but were not classified correctly'.

In 2014, a report by the HMIC hailed West Midlands Police’s crime recording as 'exemplary' and the best in UK policing.

In this week's report HMIC noted improvements in West Midlands Police's processes since 2014 – but rated the force as inadequate for effectiveness at recording reported crime.

DCC Rolfe said: “It is disappointing that, despite substantial progress since our glowing 2014 inspection, our grading has dramatically fallen.

“The integrity of police crime recording is vital for both public reassurance and the sound management and deployment of police resources.

“We are focused on the victims of crime and getting the best outcomes for them…I do not want officers dedicating time to technical recording compliance if it detracts from this essential work."

DCC Rolfe added: "While we broadly accept the data underpinning the report, it is certainly not accurate to claim 38,000 crimes have occurred and not been recorded.

"A significant number of these incidents were recorded on our systems but just not classified correctly.

“This report focuses on our technical compliance with the National Crime Recording System and, as such, is about administration and the interaction between different computer systems used to record crime.

“We are also disappointed by the author’s assertion that officers and staff are ‘failing to make correct crime recording decisions at the first opportunity’.

“This isn’t a failing but rather a conscious process decision by the force.

"Our call handlers record details over the phone and pass information to a specialist team for them to make a recording decision.

“With nearly 900,000 incident records a year it’s not feasible or practical for call handlers to record crimes straight away – it would generate vastly increased workload and added bureaucracy to achieve marginal accuracy gains."

The report found 116 domestic abuse crimes had not been recorded, 'including ones disclosed in multi-agency meetings or which came to light during other investigations, and that in half of those cases there was no safeguarding in place for potentially vulnerable people'.

DCC Rolfe added: “We take very seriously the concerns raised regarding safeguarding and will be addressing these matters as a priority.

"It is important to understand the context – in many of these cases the missed crime was found when inspectors trawled through case histories and would not have affected an ongoing prosecution or safeguarding.

“Inspectors recognised we’ve already taken steps to address some of these deficiencies through the introduction of an 'initial investigation team'…and that the team has a good understanding of crime-recording requirements.

“We are always looking for ways we can get better and have a robust improvement plan in place."

Seven out of 43 forces in England and Wales have had inspection reports published for their crime data integrity since June.

Of those, four were branded inadequate overall and two were told they required improvement.

Wiltshire was the only force which received an overall rating of good.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, said: "I want victims of crime to have confidence in reporting crimes to West Midlands Police.

"I have asked the force to make rapid improvements, ensuring that safeguarding is as robust as possible. I welcome the re-inspection in early 2018."

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said: "I am very disappointed with the result of our recent inspection into how West Midlands Police records crime.

"We estimate that the force fails to record over 38,800 crimes every year.

"This is not just low-level crime – it includes sexual offences and violent crime.

"Not only does this mean the force cannot fully understand the demand it faces to plan accordingly, but it also means that victims could potentially be at more risk of harm, without the required support."