West Mercia Police safeguarding response is 'inadequate'
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has issued an accelerated cause of concern
Last updated 26th Sep 2025
West Mercia Police must improve its response to safeguarding referrals to help keep vulnerable people safe, the police inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said West Mercia Police’s response to safeguarding is inadequate and it hasn’t improved how it manages safeguarding referrals since a previous inspection.
HMICFRS has issued an 'accelerated cause of concern' to West Mercia Police.
It means the force needs to make prompt safeguarding referrals to statutory partners to help keep vulnerable people safe.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Kathryn Stone said:
“I have issued an accelerated cause of concern to West Mercia Police as its response to safeguarding is inadequate. It is disappointing it hasn’t improved how it manages safeguarding referrals since our previous inspection.
“The force doesn’t have the necessary processes, capability or capacity in its vulnerability hub, and many officers and staff also hadn’t received specific risk assessment training or guidance.
“It cannot manage the risk posed by backlogs in safeguarding referrals and the delays in sharing information with statutory partners. The force's systems and processes also didn’t allow it to identify and prioritise the levels of risk in the backlog.
“The force must make sure that it understands the risk of this backlog, reduces it and prevents it from happening in future. I urge the force to implement our recommendations so it can manage the risk posed by inadequate risk assessments and delays in assessing and sharing information with statutory partners.”
Deputy Chief Constable Damian Barratt said the force already had work under way to address the issues raised. He said four teams were being moved to one central team to ensure referrals were "quick, clear and consistent".
In an open letter, Mr Barratt said: "I recognise the seriousness of this cause for concern and accept HMICFRS’ findings. Along with work we already had underway, we will continue to work closely with HMICFRS to ensure that the improvements we make are quick and sustainable.
"The concerns raised by HMICFRS today are specifically about the timeliness of our safeguarding referrals, the information we share with our partners. It does not follow a new inspection of our wider safeguarding activity.
"We have consistently prioritised urgent cases, such as incidents of domestic abuse where children are present and repeat incidents involving children.
"I am fully committed to addressing the challenges rightly identified by HMICFRS and improving how we protect vulnerable people across our communities."