Northamptonshire rated inadequate on crime investigation as victim outcomes fall

The finding, published today by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, represents the most serious judgment in a report that otherwise rates the force as good in one area, adequate in five and requiring improvement in two others.

In the year ending 30 September 2025, just 11.2 per cent of all outcomes assigned to victim-based crimes were positive – below the national median of 12.2 per cent and, critically, a figure that has remained essentially flat while the national picture has been slowly improving.

The performance is worst in the most serious crime categories. For rape, only 5.7 per cent of outcomes were positive, below the typical range for forces in England and Wales and down 1.4 percentage points compared to 2023. For robbery, the positive outcome rate was 6.6 per cent – also below the typical range and one per cent lower than two years earlier. Violence with injury outcomes, at 12.8 per cent, remained within the typical range but have fallen three percentage points since 2023.

“Our inspection of the force’s supervision of investigations doesn’t indicate a single point of failure,” the report states. “Rather it indicates repeated missed opportunities in a challenging operating environment, which reduces the likelihood of achieving positive outcomes for victims.”

A chronic shortage of detectives lies at the heart of the problem. As of 31 December 2025, the force had 267 full-time equivalent PIP 2 investigators in post against an establishment of 419 – a fill rate of 63.7 per cent. The force has a dedicated governance board, Project Sherlock, tracking the shortfall and has used the Detective Constable Entry Programme to recruit directly from the public, bringing in 19 detectives in September 2025. But inspectors found it was still struggling to close the gap.

More than half of officers surveyed said they were allocated investigations above their level of accreditation quarterly or more frequently, with PIP 1 investigators routinely handling cases that should go to PIP 2-trained detectives. Inspectors found victim personal statements were considered in only 9 of 21 cases reviewed, and an auditable record of a victim’s views was recorded in just 20 of 35 cases.

The force has introduced a crime allocation policy, but HMICFRS found this had made matters worse in practice, resulting in more investigations being sent to teams that were significantly under-resourced or not appropriately trained.

Compounding the investigative failure is an unsustainable reliance on overtime. The force told inspectors it was spending an average of £3,600 a day covering personnel shortages, totalling £1.3 million in the year to 30 November 2025. HMICFRS found that while the force was aware of these costs, it was not using the data to make meaningful strategic or tactical interventions.

The inspection also identified weaknesses in how the force responds to incidents. In the year ending 31 December 2025, emergency grade one calls were attended within target times in only 49 percent of urban incidents and 59 percent of rural incidents, against published targets of 15 and 20 minutes respectively. Inspectors attributed part of this to an “ask not task” approach to resource deployment, in which the control room invites officers to volunteer for incidents rather than directing them.

There are signs of progress in other areas. The force has significantly improved its handling of emergency and non-emergency calls: it now answers 92.9 per cent of 999 calls within 10 seconds, above the national standard of 90 per cent and a substantial improvement on the 78.5 per cent recorded at the time of the last inspection. The 101 abandonment rate has fallen from 25.6 per cent to 12.9 per cent.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher acknowledged the force’s new chief officer team and the challenges it had inherited. “I am satisfied with several aspects of the performance of Northamptonshire Police, including its support for workforce well-being, treatment of the public, preventative activity and safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults,” he said. “However, it must solve crime more effectively and respond to incidents more promptly.”

HMICFRS has issued the force with specific recommendations requiring action within six months, including allocating investigations to teams with appropriate capability and capacity, strengthening quality assurance of investigation plans and supervisory reviews, and consistently complying with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said the findings for Northamptonshire Police in some respects mirrored the annual State of Policing report published last autumn with many of the national policing challenges playing out here locally.

He said: “The PEEL report is such an important indicator of our overall progress during the past two years. There is no hiding away from the findings around investigations, but I remain absolutely confident in our vision and strategy to drive up performance in an area which has been challenging for many police forces in recent years.

“Not too long ago, we had local police stations closed, we had reduced both neighbourhood policing and our cohort of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), but these are now being reversed.

“There have been other factors too in the background – a fast-growing population, greater challenges in complexity of what police officers are dealing with, including mental health, and real challenges within the criminal justice system.

“Set against that context, there are many positives to be drawn from this report which is really important in terms of us building public trust and confidence.”

Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Danielle Stone said she wants assurance from the chief constable that work is underway to improve how Northamptonshire Police investigates crime.

She said that while she understands the challenges facing the force from increased demand and complexity of incidents, and while areas of good practice are highlighted, she was troubled by the finding that crime investigation is delivering fewer positive outcomes for victims.

Ms Stone said that improvement plans must be implemented much more quickly so that the public, and particularly victims of crime, can see a difference.

“Investigating crime is one of the fundamental roles of policing and the Inspectors’ finding is troubling – victims must be served better. I have asked the Chief Constable to improve standards as quickly as possible,” she said.

“Demand and complexity of incidents often outstrip the capacity to deliver. That places officers and staff under intense pressure. But people have a right to expect that if they report a crime, police will respond promptly, and it will be investigated as thoroughly as possible. That must get better.

“I am pleased that the inspectors are satisfied with many areas and agree that the chief constable and his team are reshaping the culture. I am grateful to every police officer and staff for all the work they do, every day, to keep people safe. Now there must be a focus on delivering on the improvement plans.”