Improvements across the board as Staffordshire Police praised in new report

The report, which has been published by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), has seen the force achieve improved ratings in the majority of categories since the last Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspection in 2022.

Against the backdrop of many forces seeing their gradings reduce in this current inspection window, the positive inspection follows the force being removed from HMICFRS’ ‘Engage’ enhanced monitoring process in May following improvements to specific areas of the service.

The Inspectorate has rated Staffordshire Police as ‘good’ in preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour and reducing vulnerability.

It has further rated the force as competent or ‘adequate’ in the following areas: police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully, managing offenders and suspects, building, supporting and protecting the workforce and leadership and force management.

While the majority of the report is positive, it also said the force needs to do more in the areas of responding to the public, investigating crime, protecting vulnerable people, with these three areas rated as requiring improvement.

In his response to the report, Chief Constable Chris Noble, said: “Overall, this is a positive report for Staffordshire Police which is reflective of the hard work and commitment of officers and staff to improve the service we provide to Staffordshire communities.

“Since our last full inspection over two years ago, we have been focused on improving all our areas of policing by adopting a back-to-basics approach to ensure we focus on delivering the best possible service to our communities, answering emergency calls faster, arresting more criminals, solving more crimes and further improving our local policing model.

“We have seen particular improvements in the amount of time it takes us to answer 999 calls, how we identify vulnerable callers and how we ensure they get the right support, right away.

"Investments in our control room and the introduction of new processes and teams mean we now answer the majority of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds, a 15-second improvement from two years ago, despite seeing 10,000 more calls every year compared to 2022.

“The Inspectorate has commended our ability to effectively address members of the public who make unnecessary repeat 999 calls, which has allowed us to free-up time for the people that need us most.

"We’re also working more closely with partner agencies through our Right Care, Right Person initiative to ensure health-related calls we receive are responded to by the most appropriate agency.

“HMICFRS has recognised that we need to do more in reducing wait times for our non-emergency 101 service and we already have plans in place to enhance this service through investing in more staff and adopting cutting-edge technology, to ensure it’s a response we are proud of.

“Our return to a local policing model, which has now been in place for two years, sees us work more closely with local communities to tackle the local issues that really matter to them.

"HMICFRS has recognised our improved problem-solving approaches and our work with partner agencies to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour at its source.

"Our engagement with local communities has also significantly improved with increased opportunities for two-way engagement with local officers.

“We’ve also invested heavily in a new public protection unit to provide more officers to tackle the most serious crimes, such as serious violence and sexual assault, which have a lasting impact on vulnerable people.

“HMICFRS has noted our improved compliance with the Victims’ Code in ensuring victims of crime are informed and empowered through every stage of the investigation process.

"It has also commended how we work closely with partner agencies to ensure the most vulnerable people in our communities are protected from harm.

“We are well underway in addressing the Inspectorate’s challenge to us as to how we respond more consistently and effectively to reports of domestic abuse.

"We are currently working on a new approach that will significantly reduce the time it takes to respond to grade 2 domestic abuse-related incidents.

"We have also already implemented a seven-step plan which seeks to improve our response from the initial attendance to the end of the investigation.

“A number of other improvements are already in train and I am confident we’ll be able to robustly address our weaker performing areas in the same way we did following the 2022 inspection while ensuring the positive changes we’ve already made are maintained.

“This is a positive report for Staffordshire Police but it also outlines areas of focus where we have already well developed plans and intended investments.

"We have not waited for the report to land to start our work and my commitment, and that of my staff, is that we will not rest on our laurels but push on to deliver a service to the Staffordshire public that we can all be proud of.”

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “Very few forces have seen improvements across the board in their recent HMICFRS inspections, and it’s a credit to Staffordshire Police that they have improved in nearly all grade areas.

"There is now a real basis on which to build an outstanding local police service, which is what the people of Staffordshire want to see.

"I know this ambition is shared by every police officer, staff member and volunteer, driven by the absolute determination of Chief Constable Chris Noble to return the force to being outstanding once again.

"I will provide the resources to allow Staffordshire Police to do just that, continuing my oversight of performance and governance to ensure this momentum is maintained.”