Essex Police told to make improvements by policing watchdog
The policing watchdog has issued an inspection report into the performance of the local force
Last updated 14th Oct 2022
Essex Police have been told to improve the way they treat the public in the latest report by the policing watchdog.
Inspection results were released by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the latest PEEL report, issued by HMICFRS today (Friday 14th October).
The force recognized it received a ‘Requires Improvement’ grade in the area of Responding to the Public and say work is already underway to address 3 points raised in the report.
They tell us: "The force is also improving the way in which it supports victims of crime. New work is already in progress to listen more intently to victims of crime so that their voice is heard, and to support every victim for as long (or as short) a time as is required to secure a good outcome for them after a crime has been committed"
In the report, they were firstly told to improve the consistency and speed of response to non-emergency calls.
They say they'll do that by:
- Launching a review of the way force control room works.
- Creating 15 new Sergeants posts and 40 new police staff posts
- Conducting a thorough review of training to ensure we deliver the best possible service.
To deliver a better service to victims, they plan to:
- Ensure the Victims’ Code is followed, every time.
- Make sure that victims from all backgrounds have equal access to their service
- Improve training so they can identify vulnerable people and stop them falling victim to criminals.
The force say they'll also step up monitoring of people who've served time in prison.
They have been given ‘Good’ gradings for treating the public fairly, using resources well and developing a positive workforce.
The report says that:
"Essex Police has an ethos of early intervention to prevent crime. It uses analysis to identify crime hotspots and responds effectively with other organisations to tackle entrenched criminality and anti-social behaviour. It has developed a co-ordinated and forward-thinking approach to reducing crime."
Responding to the publication of the report, Essex Police Chief Constable BJ Harrington QPM said:
“Every Essex Police officer, police staff colleague and volunteer is dedicated to catching criminals and making Essex an even safer place to live and work.
"Today’s report shows we are focused on preventing crimes and anti-social behaviour from taking place and that we value all our communities.
"We also make the most of the resources we have and as the report says, we look after our people so they can do the very best for the villages, towns and cities which we protect and serve.
"For every pound we receive, we put more officers on the street than any other force in England and Wales.
"We have a clear plan to ensure that we deliver a better response to anyone who calls us for help and this is well underway, with new officers joining us all the time to make this possible.”