Warwickshire Police prevents crime well, but must improve its response to the public

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that the force had made sustained improvements in both 999 and 101 call handling.

However, inspectors “described serious concerns” about how quickly the force responds after these calls have been answered.

In its previous inspection, Warwickshire Police was not attending incidents within expected timescales or updating victims about delays. Inspectors said that the force has not improved in this area and is still failing to meet its own published targets.

HMICFRS graded Warwickshire Police’s performance across eight areas of policing. It found the constabulary was ‘good’ at recording data about crime, and preventing and deterring crime and anti-social behaviour and reducing vulnerability; and ‘adequate’ in two areas – managing offenders and suspects, and police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully.

However, the force was graded ‘inadequate’ at responding to the public and ‘requires improvement’ in three areas: protecting vulnerable people; building, supporting and protecting the workforce; and leadership and force management.

The inspectorate said that the force is good at preventing and deterring crime, and reducing reoffending. It has a dedicated prevention hub which includes officers with specialist skills in crime prevention, who work with young people and are involved in civil interventions. The force has also demonstrated a commitment to problem-solving and has shown innovative practice in this area. For example, it has developed an app to help officers create problem-solving plans.

Inspectors also found that the force had improved how it investigates crime. As a result, it has increased the number of crimes closed where it has brought an offender to justice. However, the force needs to make sure that it takes all investigative opportunities and minimises investigation delays. It also needs to do more to make sure that all victims receive an appropriate level of service.

HMICFRS also said that the force should improve its governance and performance structures so it can quickly identify and address any potential harm to vulnerable people.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: “I have concerns about the performance of Warwickshire Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. And I have serious concerns about how quickly the force responds to calls for service from the public.

“It was positive to see that the force has made progress in some areas. For example, we found sustained improvements in both 999 and 101 call handling. The force now answers most calls quickly. It has also improved the use of evidence-based policing and reduced reports of crime and antisocial behaviour in targeted hotspot areas.

“But we found inefficient processes and under-resourced departments were contributing to significant delays in the progression of investigations. I am also concerned about the effectiveness of the governance structures that oversee how well the force protects vulnerable people. It is evident that the force is committed to achieving this. However, given the scale of the changes required, this is still work in progress.

“In view of these findings, I will remain in regular contact with the chief constable and his team.”

The PEEL report follows an inspection from November 2024 to January 2025.

Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith said: “Despite highlighting some of the excellent work and progress we’ve made, the HMICFRS inspection results demonstrate that at the time of inspection we were not where we needed to be in our response and investigation measures.

“We are pleased to see we have been positively recognised in the report on a number of key areas, including preventing and deterring crime, reducing reoffending, improving crime outcomes and our commitment to problem-solving.

“We were already taking steps to improve and have been working closely with HMICFRS in the months since the inspection. We have changed how we respond and investigate and now have additional officers and staff in our investigation teams. This has resulted in a better response and outcome rates. New working practices help us to manage ever increasing demand and reduce the risk to victims of crime.

“Our positive outcomes on residential burglaries doubled between February 2024 and February 2025, with our burglary charge rate higher than the national average. We are also the best performing police force in the country for adult rape charge rates.

“Between April 2024 and March 2025 we also saw a ten per cent decrease in anti-social behaviour and a 13 per cent decrease in serious violence in targeted hotspot areas thanks to Op Resolve, our dedicated programme to tackle these issues.

“Overall, in the past year our investigation standards and outcome rates have improved considerably, going from less than eight per cent to now routinely being 15 per cent.

“Our ambition is to become an organisation that is known for policing excellence. Many of the foundations that will enable this to happen have been built in the last few months, and the HMICFRS inspection results provide valuable steer for our areas of focus.”

Warwickshire’s police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “The independent assessment of Warwickshire Police by His Majesty’s Inspectorate provides a rounded view of where Warwickshire Police is doing well and where it needs to improve further. It also highlights the activity that force has already been progressing to make the steps forward that are needed to deliver an improved service to the public.

“The inspectors underlined that the force records crime effectively and is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as identifying high-harm crimes, supporting victims and reducing re-offending. Warwickshire Police also communicates well with communities and understands and responds well to local people.

“The report also acknowledges the good progress that has been made in how the force answers 101 and 999 calls in a timely fashion. Since the inspection period, the force has continued to sustain these improvements, despite increases in demand.

“However, it is disappointing that the force overall is graded as inadequate for public contact, with the main issues revolving around how quickly officers are taking to respond to calls for service once they have been received.”

Mr Seccombe said the force has been “quick to accept these findings” and has been working to change the way it responds and investigates crime, with additional officers brought into teams.

“This is starting to show improvement, but clearly there is still some way to go before we can be fully sure of lasting improvement,” he said.

“Nevertheless, the report needs to be seen in its full context; many of the issues it has highlighted come down to an overall lack of people to meet the increased demand or process investigations more quickly and effectively. While the report makes clear that the force manages its finances well, the level of resource needed to fully meet this challenge is simply not available.

“Warwickshire Police receives among the lowest amount of central government funding per head of population of any force and similarly ranks among the forces with the lowest numbers of officers compared to the population it serves.

“This is despite the continued increases I have been able to deliver over the past nine years, which has seen the workforce expand to unprecedented levels, with more than 300 new officers recruited in that time, meaning Warwickshire now has the highest level of police officers in its long history.

“This clearly is still not enough to address all the issues and the report makes it clear that the force’s reliance on overtime to try and deliver some of its services is unsustainable, both financially and in terms of the welfare of the workforce.

“I have been clear for some time that there needs to be a fundamental review of the funding landscape for policing. The current reliance on local taxpayers to fund an ever-larger share of budget through Council Tax is increasingly unfair, particularly when there is a major disparity in what people pay in Warwickshire compared to other parts of the country.

“The formula on which central funding is allocated is massively out of date and leaves Warwickshire with a baked-in disadvantage that is only growing year on year.

“I urge the Government to address this as part of its Comprehensive Spending Review, so that I am able to give the chief constable the full resources that are required to deliver an effective police service for the public.”