Devon & Cornwall Police moved into enhanced monitoring by watchdog
The police inspectorate has cited the recording of crimes and time taken to answer calls
Last updated 14th Oct 2022
The police watchdog has moved Devon and Cornwall Police into an enhanced level of monitoring.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services continuously monitors the performance of all police forces in England and Wales, which consists of two stages; Scan and Engage.
All police forces are in the Scan phase by default but may be escalated to Engage. His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary has decided to move Devon and Cornwall Police into the Engage phase.
Why is Devon & Cornwall Police at 'Engage'?
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary says our force is now at 'Engage' because:
• The force's crime recording has deteriorated since our last inspection. It doesn't always record crimes against vulnerable victims, particularly violent or behavioural crimes, and anti-social behaviour
• The force does not answer, or respond to, emergency or non-emergency calls within adequate timeframes, and too many calls are abandoned. Identification of repeat and vulnerable callers is missed, and callers are not always given the appropriate advice on preservation of evidence or crime prevention; and
• The force is unable to adequately manage registered sexual and violent offenders which means an increasing risk of further offending may not be identified.
Watchdog's statement
His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: "We move police forces into our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, when a force is not responding to our concerns, or if it is not managing, mitigating or eradicating these concerns. The Engage process provides additional scrutiny and support.
“Devon and Cornwall Police has been asked to urgently produce an improvement plan and will meet regularly with our inspectors. We will work closely with the force to monitor its progress against these important and necessary changes".
HMICFRS said more detail about Devon and Cornwall's performance would be included in its next inspection report, which is due to be published early next year.
Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
Devon and Cornwall Police is continuing to make improvements to its service after His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) today announced that the Force has been placed under an enhanced level of monitoring in three areas of policing.
The inspection which took place earlier this year has identified three distinct areas where the Force must make improvements: How crime is recorded; its ability to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and the management of registered sexual and violent offenders.
HMICFRS will now monitor the Force under its enhanced Engage process which provides additional scrutiny and support on behalf of the public.
In its inspection, HMICFRS also highlighted a number of strengths in the organisation stating that it understood the needs and expectations of local communities with a focus on vulnerability and works effectively with partners locally. Other areas highlighted as strengths were the Force’s effective management of demand and that it treats people fairly.
Temporary Chief Constable's Statement
Temporary Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Jim Colwell, said: "We fully accept the findings of the HMICFRS inspection. I understand that these findings may cause concern in our communities, and we are committed to delivering improvements. We have already commenced action in all three of these areas following the Inspectorate’s initial inspection in January”.
"Whilst there are improvements we must make; I am extremely proud that Devon and Cornwall remain the second safest counties in the country, and this is testament to the hard work of all our officers, staff and volunteers. Protecting victims of crime remains our priority as we strive to meet our mission for world-class policing and to provide the best possible service for our communities.
"We take these findings very seriously and we will continue to work closely with HMICFRS, our key partners and our Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, to embed sustainable improvements in the areas identified. We remain committed to delivering the excellent policing service our communities deserve".