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22
Apr
North Yorkshire Police improving — but concerns remain, says government inspector
North Yorkshire Police is improving and 'good' in most areas — but concerns remain.
Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, today (April 22) published her findings into the force’s effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy.
Her report rated North Yorkshire Police 'good' in six areas including leadership, managing fraud and preventing and deterring crime, safeguarding adults and police powers and public treatment.
The force was rated 'adequate' for responding to the public and investigating crime and 'requires improvement' for providing a safe custody environment.
Ms Skeer said:
I am pleased with the performance of North Yorkshire Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service. The force has made improvements since our last inspection, particularly in its leadership and support for the workforce. But I have concerns about how the force is managing its custody areas.
The force has good governance in place. It has clear strategic plans informed by accurate information and a detailed performance framework. Its funding is within the typical range for forces in England and Wales. The chief officer team is now stable, and the chief officers give regular briefings. This is positive for its performance and culture in the future.
Ms Skeer added the force has "effective oversight and scrutiny of stop and search", reduced waiting times for 999 calls, reviewed its approach to investigating crime and improved how it protects vulnerable people.
But she added long-term sickness rates were high and it needed to manage custody suites better and better protect the rights of detainees who are children.
Her report said:
It should improve its oversight of custody. It only arrests children as a last resort, but it should make sure it protects their rights. It should also improve the risk assessments of all detainees throughout their time in custody and upon their release.
Police custody cells
Ms Skeer added that she was “optimistic” that North Yorkshire Police would continue to improve and that she would monitor its performance.
Police response
Scott Bisset, deputy chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, said being graded as “good” in six areas was a reflection of the “hard work and commitment” of those working at the force.
He said:
The report represents independent findings which show that North Yorkshire Police has continued to improve over the last three years. We have demonstrated a focus on prevention, with a 9.5 per cent reduction in crime over the last two years. We are arresting more criminals more quickly, are third in the country for charging suspects and detect more crime than two years ago. This work is contributing to the lowest overall crime rate per head of population across England and Wales and North Yorkshire Police also has one of the highest public confidence ratings.
Our average answer time for 999 calls has reduced from seven seconds to four seconds in the last two years. The average wait time for a member of the public who calls us with a non-emergency call has decreased from four minutes and 41 seconds to three minutes in the last two years – but we still have a firm focus on improving our response to 101 calls.
But he added the constabulary "still have work to do". He said:
Specific areas for improvement have been identified in the report and we will continue to work hard, including with our partners, to address the important areas identified. As the report states, we have already taken robust steps to address any recommended areas for improvement and the focus continues.
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