Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) has released a detailed report today (June 15) which rates Cheshire Constabulary's crime recording processes as inadequate.
The grading is based on a sample of incidents between June and November last year which showed that 17% of crimes reported were either not accurately recorded or fully negated. The inspectors estimated that up to 11,600 crimes were not being recorded properly.
Since receiving the report Cheshire Police say that every case highlighted has been thoroughly reviewed and the Constabulary has acted quickly to ensure that the appropriate support and safeguarding measures were in place.
Deputy Chief Constable Janette McCormick said: "We accept the findings in the report. Progress has been made but we recognise that, like many other Forces, we have more to do.
"We have now made changes in our crime-recording approach and also made significant financial investment in staffing. The safeguarding of victims is always put at the heart of Cheshire's crime recording process, and considered throughout any subsequent investigation. All cases where HMIC inspectors highlighted some issues have been fully reviewed to ensure appropriate support has been put in place.
"While we accept that there have been some crime recording errors, this does not mean we are failing victims, nor does the report call into question the integrity of officers and staff. The report recognises our good leadership in respect of crime recording and in-roads have been made already in addressing the recommendations in the report and the Constabulary will continue to look at how we do things to ensure the public receive the best possible service. But we do have some hard choices to make in this financial climate.
"The Force has been previously praised as a 'caring' organisation by HMIC. We are, and always will be, fundamentally victim focused, and we will ensure that the public are confident we are providing the best service possible to victims of crime."
Police & Crime Commissioner David Keane said "Following the Constabulary receiving the publication findings from HMIC, I have received briefings from the Chief Constable on the report. Whilst the report does conclude the majority of officers and staff are placing the needs of the victim at the heart of their crime-recording decisions, HMIC's findings raise a number of significant concerns regarding crime recording by the Constabulary. I am certain that residents across the county will share my keenness to fully understand the issues, explore the actions taken to remedy any deficiencies and the progress which has been made against areas for improvement.
"As such I have made the decision to convene an extra-ordinary Scrutiny Board on 3 July 2017 at Clemonds Hey. This meeting will provide the opportunity for me to scrutinise the Chief Constable's response to HMIC's findings and explore the issues that it raises in detail. The meeting will be held in public and I would encourage residents to attend if they wish to. Details for the meeting will appear on my website shortly."
Whilst the Constabulary were graded 'inadequate', the report recognised the progress already made in implementing HMIC's recommendations since the last inspection, which includes the work undertaken to improve the knowledge and understanding of staff around crime recording.
The report also highlighted a well-established victim support service, 'Cheshire Cares', who provide victims of crime access to a follow-up support service at a critical time in their lives and HMIC was impressed with the processes introduced for less serious crimes that can be dealt with without the need to go through the court process.
The most recent assessments of the Constabulary by HMIC graded Cheshire as:
- Good at its effectiveness in keeping people safe and reducing crime
- Good at its efficiency in keeping people safe and reducing crime
- Good at its legitimacy in keeping people safe and reducing crime
