Improvements at West Mercia Police, but ‘more work to do’, says HMICFRS

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the force to be ‘good’ in one area, ‘adequate’ in four and ‘requiring improvement’ in four.

HM Inspector of Constabulary said while he was “satisfied” with some aspects of the performance of West Mercia Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service, there are areas in which the force needs to improve.

Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: “We recognise the importance of independent assessments like PEEL and are using this report as one tool to guide our next steps and drive continued improvement for the communities we serve, and for our officers, staff and volunteers. We acknowledge the findings and are already acting on them.

“The inspection highlights both the progress we’ve made and the challenges we are addressing head-on. The results are not where we want to be, and I am clear that they must and will improve. As set out in the police and crime commissioner’s (PCC) Safer Communities Plan, we remain focused on the issues that matter most to our communities, which is providing a service that is responsive, fair and trusted.”

Alongside its good rating for crime recording, the report recognises some of the excellent work happening in the force and meaningful progress in several key areas.

In particular, highlighting that neighbourhood policing teams are well resourced and are actively engaging with communities to resolve local issues, investigative standards have improved, and that hot spot patrols have reduced serious crime by 18 per cent.

The force’s dedicated online child sexual exploitation team (OCSET) was praised for its effective use of civil orders and strong partnership working to protect children, as was the processes in place for external scrutiny of the use of our stop and search powers.

Call handling has also seen significant improvement, particularly in identifying vulnerable callers. While the report noted that 999 response times needed attention, focused efforts have already delivered results — with 92 per cent of emergency calls answered within ten seconds from January to April, exceeding the national target.

The report outlines areas where the force must do better, such as how it identifies vulnerable victims and challenges faced with IT systems, which have required significant modernisation.

Mr cooper added: “The counties we serve – Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire – remain safe places to live and I’m pleased the report reflects some of the good work already underway; there is much to be proud of.

“But this report does not reflect the consistently superb service that I and all my colleagues want to provide. We know where there are further improvements to be made beyond those we’ve already achieved and, together with the PCC, we are determined to make those changes.”

Commenting on the findings, PCC John Campion said: “I know the public have high expectations, so it’s important we use the findings as a platform to drive further change.

“Together, with the new chief constable, action is already taking place to address concerns and it’s my expectation that this progress continues at pace.

“West Mercia Police is full of hardworking police officers and staff who are on the thin blue line keeping communities safe – it’s on the chief constable and I to set them up to succeed.

“I will continue to work with and support the chief constable to deliver my Safer Communities Plan, by directing the resources needed to deliver the best possible service to the communities of West Mercia.”

HM Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke said: “In our last inspection, we highlighted investigative standards as a cause of concern. The force has made significant efforts to improve these.

“We found improvements in how it supervises investigations and in the quality of investigation plans. But it was disappointing to find that the force didn’t always understand what support victims needed and were entitled to receive. Contact with victims is often based on officer availability rather than victim needs. The force has more to do here to improve the service it provides to victims.

“I am pleased to see the force has continued to prioritise the prevention of crime. During this inspection we found that neighbourhood teams were well staffed, effectively communicating with their communities and striving to solve local problems. They take a problem-solving approach to addressing local issues and make sure the most vulnerable are supported. I am also pleased to see the force has improved how it manages offenders.

“We found the investigation of child sex abuse images was of a good standard. But the force needs to do more work to make sure it offers a consistent service in managing the risks posed by registered sex offenders.

“The force has made improvements to how it treats the people who contact it. It now routinely identifies vulnerable people and repeat callers. However, the force doesn’t always make use of information about vulnerable people. While these improvements help the force safeguard the vulnerable, it should do more to make sure that first contact with the force is effective.

“The force still isn’t answering emergency calls as quickly as it should. But it is improving. The number of non-emergency calls members of the public abandon because they aren’t answered is still high. This is something we found in our previous inspection in 2021/22. We also found that officers didn’t attend calls for service within the required attendance time. The force must improve in these areas to maintain victims’ confidence and maximise opportunities to solve crime.

“The force has created good welfare and wellbeing support for its workforce. Despite this, officers and staff aren’t always receiving the support they require. The lack of a suitable case management system limits the force’s ability to understand when support is requested and where improvements are needed.”

However, Sir Andy added: “West Mercia Police lacks consistency in the service it provides for vulnerable people. We were disappointed to find significant backlogs in risk assessments. These backlogs result in delays in the force referring vulnerable people to safeguarding partners. We also found delays in the force making referrals to the multi‑agency risk assessment conference (MARAC), and many high-risk cases not being referred at all.

“West Mercia Police has made some improvements, but still has work to do. Areas that still need attention are its IT infrastructure, improvements in data collection and analysis, and implementing a new operating model. All of this is set against a very challenging financial position, which will undoubtedly have an effect on the decisions it makes.

“I look forward to seeing how the force continues to work to improve its performance, which I will be closely monitoring.”