Humberside Police praised for good performance but must improve the way it investigates crime

The force received three ‘outstanding’ gradings across eight areas of core policing, the highest out of any other force in the UK, in the latest His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection report, which has been released on Wednesday (October 16).

HMICFRS said that while the force has been working hard at preventing and deterring crime, it has also been innovative in its use of technology to become more efficient, freeing-up its workforce to focus on its priorities.

The force uses an effective tool called Humber Talking, which gives the community an opportunity to tell the police what they think police priorities should be and the problems they face. Inspectors found that 36 per cent of its population (215,000 households) have already registered and are using this tool.

The inspectorate also said that the force continues to identify vulnerability effectively and works well with partners to protect the public. This includes effective work with communities and community safety partners to tackle local problems.

The force has helped other teams around the country introduce the Right Care, Right Person programme. This was developed to reduce the number of mental health incidents it attends and make sure vulnerable people get support from appropriate care professionals. The force has also created My Police Portal to improve updates to victims of crime.

However, the inspectorate said the force needs to improve the way it investigates crime, as it found that some investigations are not supervised properly or are not thorough enough.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: “I congratulate Humberside Police on its performance in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service. This is thanks to the hard work of officers, staff and volunteers in helping the force to succeed.

“I was pleased to find that the force has kept up its performance in several areas since our last inspection. The force’s data, strategic planning, and governance and performance arrangements help it match resources to the demand it faces. I am particularly impressed with how the force uses technology to become more efficient.

“But to provide a consistently good service, it needs to improve some aspects.

“The force needs to make improvements to the quality and supervision of its investigations. This will make sure victims get the justice they deserve.

“However, I have become concerned about a lack of stability in the chief officer team and among other senior leaders. And I am concerned about how this may negatively affect the force’s performance and culture now and in the future.

“I will be closely monitoring the changes to make sure the force continues to provide a good service to the public.”

Chief Constable Judi Heaton said: “I am delighted with the report, which is a true testament and credit to all officers, staff and volunteers who have contributed and played their part in this achievement. It has been a team effort by colleagues across all roles in the force and I hope that they are all as proud as I am today.

“Humberside Police is one of the top performing forces in the UK, and the journey we have been on since 2017 when the force was in what was then referred to as ‘special measures’, highlights exactly how far we have come to be awarded outstanding grades.

“Even with our transformation and improvements, this will always remain as a journey for us; we will never be complacent, and we will always strive to achieve.”

Humberside Police received three outstanding grades for prevention and deterrence, protecting vulnerable people and building and supporting the workforce, which is the highest number of outstanding grades of any force; four good grades in use of powers, responding to the public, managing offenders, and leadership and management; and one requires improvement for investigations, which mainly highlighted the need for more regular supervision and more through completion of standardised templates.

Ms Heaton added: “The report recognised our successes in keeping people safe, reducing crime and ensuring victims are given an effective service and this is undoubtedly down to the hard work of our teams across the force.

“The grades achieved by the force are testament to the steadfast commitment of our officers, staff and volunteers.

“Despite the many challenges faced in policing, not least the violent disorder we saw over the summer, they have been relentless in their pursuit of achieving excellence and indeed our performance has improved in several areas since the Inspection.

“However, with any comprehensive inspection, there are always areas where there remains room for improvement, and this is something that we will now focus on to ensure we deliver the best possible service to our communities. We are always continuously improving with more processes, policies and procedures developed and embedded.

“The support of the public and our partner agencies is key for us to maintain the service we are able to provide and I want to offer my personal thanks, as we are in a stronger position now than we ever have been before.

“There remains a way to go, but I can offer my assurance that we are determined, and we will succeed in continuing to provide our communities with the exceptional level of service they deserve from their police force.”

Humberside’s police and crime commissioner Jonathan Evison said: “It is really encouraging to see such a positive report from HMICFRS for Humberside Police. These grades reflect the continued hard work of police officers, police staff and volunteers. My thanks go to everyone for their hard work and dedication to the public.

“Humberside Police remain the highest graded police force in the country, and that is something I am really proud of. However, I know there is no room for complacency, I will continue to support and challenge the force, via the chief constable, to ensure continuous improvement for the public and victims.”

He added: “Over the last 12 months there has been significant improvements within Humberside Police when it comes to investigating crime. To reassure the public I can say that despite the findings in this area, Humberside are one of the top performing forces for positive outcomes.

“Over the last few months I have been focused on ensuring the continued stability of the force on behalf of the public, and as such, I secured the interim leadership of T/Chief Constable Judi Heaton QPM, to ensure this outstanding performance is maintained.

“It is pleasing to see that HMICFRS have recognised the use of Humber Talking in their report.”