Sir Thomas Winsor: ‘continued failure will be deplorable’

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary has written to all chief constables warning that future crime recording inspections will be unannounced.

In an open letter sent today, Sir Thomas Winsor said the importance that HMIC attaches to crime recording is undiminished and reminded them of the “inexcusably poor” level of under-recording found in 2014.

“In future, in relation to crime-recording, HMIC will carry out unannounced inspections,” he said. “These will not be confined to those forces in which crime-recording was found in 2014 to be especially bad. Every force will be inspected. The intensity of each inspection and the aspects of crime-recording inspected will be at HMIC`s discretion. Forces will be told what is required when the inspectors arrive.”

Crime-recording: Making the Victim Count, published in November 2014 by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, showed the national average of under-recording of crimes at 19 per cent. For sexual offences (including rapes) it was 26 per cent, and the national rate of incorrect decisions to no-crime rapes was 20 per cent.

In the case of violence against the person, 33 per cent of crimes went unrecorded, HMIC claimed.

He said Kent Police and West Yorkshire Police showed how rapidly a poor position should and could be remedied and warned chief constables that failure to properly record crime is indefensible, and “a continuation of the reported national failure rate would be deplorable”.

Inspections will also assess the extent to which HMIC`s 2014 recommendations have been implemented.

Sir Thomas added: “We said that accurate crime-recording is essential if forces are to be able to make sound decisions on the deployment of resources, and to operate with the highest practicable levels of efficiency. Further pressures on police budgets will intensify the need for reliable information about crime. Public safety and the needs of victims must not be compromised by such failures.

“Any force which is found not to be taking all necessary steps to record crimes accurately and in accordance with the published rules and standards should expect appropriate criticism from HMIC. Our findings and judgment in each case will be published.

“It is often objected that forces have to spend a lot of time preparing for HMIC inspections. In the case of our inspections of crime-recording, the only preparation which is necessary is to ensure crime-recording is always as good as it should be.”