Northamptonshire Police showing clear improvement since last inspection, says HMICFRS

The latest inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has highlighted improvements in most areas, particularly in how the force communicates with its communities to identify local problems and gather intelligence, and, in some cases, is leading the way in terms of good practice.

In particular, it now ranks top across all forces when it comes to quality of case files submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service for it to take forward to court proceedings.

However, HMICFRS said the force still needs to improve how it investigates crime.

Inspectors identified the force sometimes allocated crimes to officers which lacked the capacity or capability to investigate effectively.

“The force has good governance structures and aims to make sure its officers have sufficient skills, but the inspection found that offenders may not always be brought to justice and that victims were not always getting the most appropriate outcomes,” said HMICFRS.

In its concluding report published on Friday (February 16), the inspectorate noted “clear improvements” since its last inspection in 2021, when Northamptonshire Police was judged to be adequate in four areas and requiring improvement in six others, including how it protects vulnerable people and how it manages offenders.

Under its revised inspection criteria, introduced since the previous inspection, HMICFRS measured the force against nine areas of business, including how it treats victims of crime, its legitimacy in its use of powers, how it protects vulnerable people and its effectiveness in investigating crime.

One is now judged to be outstanding, one good, six  adequate with just one area – investigating crime – requiring improvement.

However, HMICFRS noted a number of “key areas of progress”. In particular, the inspectorate highlighted a good overall approach to using police powers and treating people fairly and with respect. HMICFRS also noted the force’s external scrutiny panel worked effectively and involved young people

Improvements were also noted in the way the force protects vulnerable people and manages registered sex offenders and those suspected of accessing indecent images of children

Another area of “promising practice” was Northamptonshire Police’s approach to investigating shoplifting, linked to the cost-of-living crisis. The force later showcased its approach to retail crime when the Policing Minister visited Northampton in December.

HMICFRS also flagged key areas linked to building trust and confidence, including a positive and proportionate approach to stop and search powers, very good compliance around body-worn video and an arrest rate figure (34 per cent) for domestic abuse offenders that is higher than the national average.

The force was also shown to be complying fully with the Victims’ Code of Practice with victims kept regularly updated on cases by officers and staff.

Partnership working – a weakness highlighted in previous reports – has also improved in part by the data-sharing activity, known as the Observatory, between partner agencies, which has addressed the force’s early intervention and prevention activity whereby support is provided to those at risk of starting a life of crime before it is too late.

The re-launch of Northamptonshire Talking, an online community engagement platform is also gaining traction with more sign-ups and the ability for users to engage with police via translation tools when English is not their first language, the force said.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “I am pleased with some aspects of Northamptonshire Police’s performance in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. I commend the force for its concerted effort in making improvements since our last inspection.

“However, there are some areas where the force needs to improve. The force isn’t answering 999 calls within the timescales set by national targets or attending non-emergency calls within set times. And we found that it didn’t always update victims about delays. Although, at the time of our inspection, the force had recently invested in its control room to improve how it responds to the public.

“In the lead up to our inspection, there was instability in the chief officer team due to several vacancies and chief officer appointments, and shortly following our inspection, the chief constable was suspended pending the outcome of a misconduct investigation. We will continue to closely monitor how this affects the force’s performance, and how the force meets the public’s needs.”

Mr Balhatchet said: “The force is continuing to move in the right direction from our last inspection in 2021 and we are a very long way now from the 2019 inspection report which identified some very serious gaps in performance and led to us spending a period in special measures.

“We took the findings from the last inspection and have worked hard to improve across a wide range of areas and while there is still work to do, there are a lot of positives to be drawn from this report.”

The acting chief constable added: “This force and policing in general have never been under more scrutiny than it has over the past couple of years so it is especially encouraging to see how well we have been assessed in terms of our legitimacy, the way we use powers and treat the public with fairness and respect.”

An area highlighted as needing specific attention was domestic abuse, but he said that approach is now subject to a detailed review in-force designed to ensure “we have the most robust response possible moving forward”.

Northamptonshire Police said work has already been put in place to address the findings of the latest report, including internal campaigns to identify why new recruits are leaving the force, new technology to further bolster efficiency and performance.

A new youth violence intervention unit to build on the force’s approach to prevent and deter crime is also now in place.

Across the nine categories, HMICFRS graded Northamptonshire Police:

Crime data integrity – Outstanding;

Police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully – Good;

Preventing and deterring crime and anti-social behaviour and reducing vulnerability – Adequate;

Responding to the public – Adequate;

Investigating Crime – Requires improvement;

Protecting vulnerable people – Adequate;

Managing offenders and suspects – Adequate;

Building, supporting and protecting the workforce – Adequate; and

Leadership and force management – Adequate.