Bedfordshire Police needs to 'urgently improve' how it investigates crime, says police inspectorate

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said while Bedfordshire Police has well-regarded leadership, it needs to improve how well it investigates crime and the service it provides to victims.

Inspectors found the force  is operating in a challenging environment but hasn’t made enough improvements in leadership and force management, preventing and deterring crime, responding to the public or investigating crime since the force’s last inspection.

And it hasn’t addressed weaknesses in governance and oversight which continue to affect performance across several areas.

Inspectors said that the force had deteriorated in investigating crime, which is a significant concern. The force isn’t consistently providing a quality investigative service, which means that victims don’t always receive the service they should expect and the force can miss opportunities to bring offenders to justice. The inspectorate has issued a cause of concern relating to ineffective governance and oversight arrangements limiting the force’s ability to provide a high-quality service to victims.

The force also isn’t meeting expected standards when responding to the public. It needs to do more to make sure officers attend incidents quickly enough and resources are deployed in a way that best meets demand and manages risk. Prevention and deterrence also require improvement and fraud performance isn’t yet where it needs to be to provide a satisfactory service to victims.

However, inspectors found that the force’s leadership is viewed positively across the organisation. Use of police powers is also a relative strength, with effective scrutiny arrangements promoting lawful use of powers, and safeguarding arrangements are generally effective. The force has also shown a commitment to technological innovation to help manage demand in a constrained financial environment.

HMICFRS graded Bedfordshire Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was adequate in four areas, requires improvement in four areas and inadequate in one area.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher OBE QFSM said: “Bedfordshire Police has well-regarded and visible leaders who understand their operating environment, but I have concerns about the performance of the force in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service.

“Bedfordshire Police hasn’t made enough improvements in leadership and force management, prevention and deterrence, responding to the public or investigating crime since our last inspection. The force has deteriorated in the area of investigating crime, and urgent improvement is needed.

“However, Bedfordshire Police operates in a challenging environment. The force is one of the smallest geographically and among the lowest funded per head of population. But it faces levels of demand associated with serious and organised crime, gang activity, firearms offending, county lines and vulnerability that are disproportionate to its size.

“This context doesn’t diminish the importance of the areas for improvement we identified during our inspection. But it is an important factor when considering the force’s performance, capacity and pace of change.”

Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst KPM said they accept the report’s findings and recommendations, adding: “We recognise the need to progress further and have improvement plans in place focused on strengthening the supervision and quality of our investigations and improving how we support and keep victims informed.

“The report acknowledges the wider context of the significant funding and demand pressures facing Bedfordshire. These directly affect our performance, capacity and pace of change, but do not lessen our responsibility to improve.

“Despite these challenges we are responding to incidents quicker, solving more crimes, have strengthened our management of outstanding suspects, increased our use of domestic violence prevention orders and invested in more trained detectives to improve outcomes for victims and communities.

“I am proud of our officers and staff for their professionalism and commitment in delivering that progress in what is an incredibly difficult environment. Bedfordshire faces some of the most complex crime issues in the country while our demand continues to increase

“As one of the lowest funded forces in England and Wales it is vitally important that improvements are delivered in a sustainable way. The PCC and I will therefore continue to make the case nationally for a fairer funding settlement that better reflects the demands we face in Bedfordshire.

“We are committed to working closely with HMICFRS, our partners and our communities to deliver lasting improvements to the service victims and the public receive.”

He said the report “recognises the pressures” faced by Bedfordshire Police, with HMICFRS saying: “The force, like many others, continues to face financial pressures associated with funding levels. Bedfordshire Police remains one of the lowest-funded forces per head of population in England and Wales. But it is policing at a level of demand and complexity more commonly associated with much larger urban forces. These challenges are compounded by the demands of policing Luton, a large urban area with a complex and distinctive demand profile. The challenges are also compounded by significant levels of serious and organised crime, gang-related violence and county lines activity.”

Mr Rodenhurst said the report should therefore also be considered alongside the “significant progress the force continues to make in a challenging operational environment”.