Staffordshire Police out of "special measures"

It's been confirmed that Staffordshire Police is out of "special measures".

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services say the decision was made today, having consulted other bodies - such as the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

They were previously placed in the 'Engage' faze in June 2022, after the force found they were taking nearly 25 seconds to answer 999 emergency calls.

Inspectors also previously said Staffordshire Police were failing to give victims the right support and failing to carry out effective investigations.

Following in-depth monitoring and continuous assessment, HMICFRS has determined that Staffordshire Police has made several improvements, including how it identifies vulnerable people, and the standards of investigation is maintains when dealing with victims of crime.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “I welcome this decision, which comes on the back of incredibly hard work by our officers and staff for two years. Most importantly, it reflects an independent assessment that our communities are receiving a much better service, and our ambition is to significantly improve that service further.

“When we were first placed in ‘Engage’ in June 2022, we were taking nearly 25 seconds to answer 999 calls.

Now, 999 calls are consistently answered in less than 10 seconds. Our control room staff are now routinely identifying the signs of vulnerability in our contacts with the public, enabling us to help and respond to those most at risk more effectively

“We’ve also seen a noticeable improvement in pursuing and bringing offenders to justice – moving from a 10 per cent outcome rate in 2022 to 18.5 per cent in the last three months, one of the best rates in the country. This is achieved by our move back to a local policing approach, which has seen our stop and search rates increase by 20 per cent and arrest rates up by 18 per cent."

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