Surrey Police on ‘right trajectory’ but still areas where it ‘must do better’

In particular, leadership and force management, investigating crime, diversity and managing fraud all require improvement.

However, the latest PEEL inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found Surrey Police was good at using powers fairly and appropriately, and preventing and deterring crime and anti-social behaviour and reducing vulnerability, and adequate at safeguarding children and adults at risk of harm and responding to the public.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “I am pleased with some aspects of Surrey Police’s performance and recognise that the chief officer team has improvement plans that are yet to be completed.

“I am satisfied with some aspects of the performance of Surrey Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service.

“There are still areas in which Surrey Police must do better, but I am optimistic that the plans it has in place will help it make the improvements needed.”

Since HMICFRS last inspected Surrey Police, the force said its charge-summons rate has more than doubled. These charge rates are for the crimes of greatest concern to residents, such as burglary, vehicle crime, assaults, drug dealing, shoplifting, and harassment, it said. Since the 2023 inspection, the force has implemented a successful retail crime strategy and charged 2,345 more suspects with shoplifting.

Better outcome rates in offences of violence against women and girls are also noted, with the total charges for stalking and rape double those at the time of the previous inspection. From 10 May the introduction of a new team, aligned with the national model for investigating rape offences, will also deliver better investigations and improve the quality of service provided to victims and survivors.

In 2023 the inspectorate applied a cause of concern to Surrey Police in relation to call handling and response times. Following an improvement programme, the force has moved up two gradings and the cause of concern has been lifted.

Non-emergency calls are now answered three minutes faster than a year ago. It now takes on average 12 seconds to answer a 101 call, and 999 calls are answered in two seconds rather than five.

“Our time to deploy to emergency calls has exceeded the published target of 80 per cent for over a year compared to the 46 per cent reported in 2023, and Surrey Police now answers 93.6 per cent of calls for service in under ten seconds, ranking consistently in the top ten of forces nationally and showing improvement year on year,” the force said.

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer said: “I welcome today’s PEEL report and accept its findings.

“The period covered by this inspection reflects the first two years of our five-year strategy, which prioritises fighting crime, protecting people, and earning public trust.

“The PEEL report is a fair assessment of our progress made so far, and the improvements still required. We are grateful for the acknowledgement of continued improvement across the force.

“The inspection found encouraging early progress under our five year plan, reporting how we have maintained our good record in crime prevention, problem solving, and visible neighbourhood policing while addressing previous areas of weakness such as response times and charge rates.

“On 10 May we will implement our most important organisational restructure in a generation, a much-needed change to longstanding structures and arrangements. This will ensure that we are resilient and prepared for the crime and policing challenges ahead.

“I am grateful to every officer, member of staff, and volunteer in Surrey Police for their hard work and resilience. Together we are determined to serve victims tirelessly, pursue criminals relentlessly and cut crime in our county.”

Surrey’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) Lisa Townsend said she believes Surrey Police is on the “right trajectory”.

While the report did highlight areas for improvement, Ms Townsend said she was confident the force had already put plans in place to address.

Ms Townsend said: “This report reflects the first two years of the chief constable’s five-year plan and I firmly believe the Force is heading in the right direction.

“Surrey Police has been focusing on what residents tell me are most important to them and what policing does best – fighting crime in our local communities, getting tough on offenders and protecting people.

“They have been one of the fastest improving forces in the country – burglary and vehicle crime rates are falling, police teams are cracking down on anti-social behaviour and shoplifting charges have risen by well over 400 per cent.”

She added: “The number of charges across the board has more than doubled while 40 per cent more crimes have been solved.

“I am pleased to see today’s report has recognised that the force has maintained its good record in crime prevention, problem solving and that visible neighbourhood policing which I know is so important to our residents.

“In the last PEEL inspection, concerns were raised about Surrey Police’s contact with the public, in particular the length of time it took for 101 and 999 calls to be answered.

“So I am delighted to see that HMICFRS have recognised the transformation that has taken place in this area which has seen dramatic progress in the force’s performance.

“There is always room for improvement of course and I welcome the scrutiny from inspectors whilst taking into account that the HMICFRS PEEL review is a snapshot in time and only one aspect of the police governance landscape in Surrey.”

The PCC said change is underway.

“There is a huge amount of change underway within Surrey Police at present and issues highlighted around leadership centred on the need for the force to communicate its decisions and reasons for change more clearly which is being addressed,” Ms Townsend said.

“The report also highlighted investigating crime as an area that requires improvement. It is important to note that the concerns relate to how crime is recorded and the need to issue more adult cautions and community resolutions.

“There are still areas in which Surrey Police must do better, but I share the optimism of inspectors that plans are already well underway to address those areas highlighted as requiring improvement.”