WEST Mercia Police investigation standards and service to victims is a ‘cause for concern’ His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found.
In its recent Victim Service Assessment, HMICFRS found the investigation standards had not significantly improved, specifically the way investigations are supervised.
HMICFRS have said West Mercia Police should make suitable improvements within three months.
However, it has commanded the force for improving how it consults with victims, identifying repeat and vulnerable callers and keeping victims updated.
In a letter to Chief Constable Pippa Mills and Police and Crime Comissioner John Campion, Wendy Williams from HMICFRS said: “We found that West Mercia Police has made progress against some of the cause of concern recommendations that we focused on in this revisit.
“But it needs to do more in relation to supervision and the allocation of investigation plans.
“The force needs to improve how it responds to the public, particularly in how effectively it answers 999 and 101 calls and attends incidents.
“We will continue to monitor the force’s performance in these areas.
“While I congratulate the force on the progress it has made, the existing cause of concern will remain.”
Acting Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: “We’re pleased to see a sustained and significant improvement.
“Despite a continued focus to improve our investigative standards we acknowledge and share the concerns raised by the inspectorate.
“We welcome the independent oversight and scrutiny from HMICFRS in this area which will help us to refocus on meaningful improvement.
“Since the initial inspection took place in late 2021, we have invested in and continue to invest in investigative skills training for both new and existing officers, changed our process to improve co-ordination and introduced sergeants dedicated to overseeing investigation quality.
“We’re pleased to hear that in all of the calls reviewed by the team, our contact handlers dealt with callers professionally and with empathy.
“We do recognise though the amount of time it takes to answer calls needs to improve and we are currently changing our approach to ensure this happens.”
