Forces must improve the effectiveness of crime investigations, says HMICFRS

In a new report, ‘Crime investigations: An inspection into how effectively the police investigate crime’, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found police efforts are hampered by ineffective ways of recording, assessing, allocating and investigating crime.

It said forces are recording how many times they update victims, rather than recording how effective the updates are at providing information and support.

HMICFRS says demand on the police has increased over the past decade. Recorded crime rates per 1,000 population have increased over that period, yet the number of officers has not kept the same pace, it said.

Inspectors found that investigators’ workloads were too high, the complexity of crimes is increasing, as is the time forces take to investigate them. Additionally, many supervisors and investigators are inexperienced and lacking the necessary training.

Inspectors also found that, over the past decade, the introduction of some operating models has prevented or discouraged all officers and staff from developing an investigative mindset. As a result, many forces lose investigative opportunities from the moment when an incident or crime is reported, then at various other stages in the process.

To more accurately assess how many investigators their forces need, senior leaders must have a better understanding of their overall crime-related demand, says HMICFRS.

It added: “It is clear outcomes for victims are not good enough, with victims often withdrawing their support for investigations, citing delays in the criminal justice process as a key factor.

“These can be caused by problems such as high workloads, delays in obtaining charging decisions, or the time it takes for a case to be tried in court.”

Despite the challenges, there were dozens of examples of good initiatives that forces have introduced to improve the standard of crime investigations and achieve better outcomes for victims, including creating digital toolkits, using retired detectives as coaches and updating victims through the My Police Portal app.

HMICFRS has made 11 recommendations to chief constables, police forces and others to make sure they build a better understanding of their crime-related demand and the resources they need so they can meet it.

Inspectors recommended more effective processes, better training for all and improved supervision of crime investigations.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: “There is little in policing that is more important to the public than investigating crime. The consequences of not doing it consistently well, means lower levels of public trust and confidence in policing, and in the wider criminal justice system.

“When a crime is reported, the public have a right to expect that the police will record and investigate it effectively. Victims of crime also have the right to expect to receive regular updates.

“We spoke to many officers and staff working tirelessly to investigate crime and achieve positive outcomes for victims. However, we found that all too often, investigators’ efforts are hampered by ineffective force processes which means that often forces don’t put victims first.

“And it is evident that chief constables do not have sufficient resources to investigate all volume crime to a standard that they and the public wish to see.

“While forces undoubtably need more officers and staff, with the resources they have, there is much they can do.

“There are many good examples of initiatives across forces as they work hard to improve the effectiveness of crime investigations and the service they give to victims.

“I encourage chief constables to consider how they can adopt these or take similar approaches in their forces.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint leads on performance, Chris Nelson and John Tizard said: “We welcome the HMICFRS inspection report which demonstrates that forces must improve the effectiveness of crime investigations and achieve better outcomes for victims, both of which are vital to improving public confidence in policing.

“Acknowledging that forces are making efforts to improve their investigation performance, a combination of increased demand, reduced resources, inconsistent and ineffective practices, and gaps in training and supervision are impacting investigation outcomes for the majority of forces, even those that are high performing in other areas. The recruitment of more detectives and supervisors and training is key, but this also needs to apply to police officers and staff, including call handlers and neighbourhood teams. And, as the report recognises, this cannot be at the expense of other areas.

“Police and crime commissioners and deputy mayors will be considering this report and its recommendations and will hold chief constables to account for addressing and improving force investigations and achieving positive outcomes for victims.”

The Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, said: “This report confirms what victims have long told me: too often, the information and support they need are replaced by a box-ticking exercise—undermining outcomes for victims and eroding public trust in policing.

“I welcome the Chief Inspector’s calls for improved processes to ensure forces meet their obligations to victims under the Victims’ Code. Time and again research shows victims care deeply about how they are treated. For many, how the system treats them often matters just as much as securing a conviction, and this can profoundly influence their willingness to engage with the system long-term. This is especially important now, as victims face longer waits for justice amid a record Crown Court backlog, while vital support services are forced to ration help or turn people away due to funding cuts.

“Outcomes for victims are not good enough—and this must change. Complying with the Victims’ Code must go beyond simple box-ticking: it’s about understanding what victims need, making sure their rights are delivered, and supporting them through the whole criminal justice process.

“As this report makes clear, improving services for victims leads to better outcomes, frees up officer time, and strengthens public trust in policing – benefiting both victims, frontline officers and wider society. The incentives for change are clear – and the cost of inaction is too high to ignore.”