Warwickshire crime commissioner responds to latest police inspection report

In the Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) report, published earlier this week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the force has been graded as good in two areas, adequate in three areas, requires improvement in three areas and inadequate in one area.

Mr Seccombe said: “The independent assessment provides a rounded view of where Warwickshire Police is doing well and where it needs to improve.

"It also highlights the activity that the 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, the force has continued to sustain these improvements, despite increased demand.

“However, it’s 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’ve been received.

“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 there’s still some way to go.

“Nevertheless, the report needs to be seen in its full context - many of the issues it’s 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 isn’t 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 with more than 300 new officers recruited in that time, meaning Warwickshire now has the highest level of police officers in its 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 workforce welfare.

“I’ve 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.

"I urge the Government to address this as part of its Comprehensive Spending Review, so that I’m able to give the Chief Constable the full resources that are required to deliver an effective police service for the public.”