Inspectors have found North Yorkshire Police’s investigations of child protection cases are poor and need to improve.
A highly critical report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.
It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.
The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.
Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:
“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”
‘No specialist training’ for most staff
The report added that staff training and awareness measures had relied on the use of email and online training packages. The report said:
“A large proportion of the officers dealing with child abuse investigations have had no specialist child abuse investigation training. The force has recognised this, and it has booked specialist courses for officers in early 2022.”
Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.
HMIC made a number of recommendations to the force, which included:
- speaking to children, recording their behaviour and demeanour, listening to their concerns and views, and using that information to make decisions about their welfare;
- supervising investigations to make sure the force pursues opportunities and avoids delaying cases unnecessarily; and
- promptly sharing information with safeguarding partners.
Andy Cooke, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said:
“North Yorkshire Police’s senior leaders want to protect children and give them better outcomes, and we found some good examples of the force protecting children in need of help.
“But in too many cases, practice is inconsistent. Officers don’t always share information quickly enough with safeguarding partners. We also found that supervisors don’t oversee investigations well enough, mainly because they lack the training, skills and experience.
“The force knows it needs to do more to help its officers better understand how to safeguard children. We have made a series of recommendations which, if acted on, will help improve outcomes for children in North Yorkshire.”
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Police commissioner calls report findings ‘unacceptable’
North Yorkshire Police has 1,562 police officers, 1,214 police staff, 212 police and community support officers and 113 special constables.
Its work is scrutinised by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Conservative Zoe Metcalfe was elected to the role in November after fellow Tory Philip Allott resigned.
The Police and Crime Plan 2017–2021, set by previous commissioners and the current chief constable has four priorities, the first of which relates to safeguarding vulnerable people, including children.
This document is now due to be revised.
Ms Metcalfe said in a statement today that all children deserved to grow up in a safe environment
She added:
“We need to be candid in acknowledging that what this report has found is unacceptable.
“It is clear that sometimes not enough has been done to ensure that North Yorkshire Police can show that vulnerable children are as protected as they should be in North Yorkshire and York, and all too often the failings come despite the best efforts of those who have a policing role to safeguard them.
“As a new commissioner, now responsible for scrutinising the work of the North Yorkshire Police, that is a serious concern. I know that is a view shared by the force’s leadership, and I am sure it will be a concern across the organisation and beyond.
“It is important to note that the report does say there is evidence that improvements were underway in November 2021 when the inspection took place, and I have been assured those have continued at pace, so many of the issues identified are now in the process of being addressed. Measures are in place to ensure there is a robust framework in place to track and review this progress. I and my team will closely monitor and review what happens next.
“I have also met with local authority partners who have offered their full support to North Yorkshire Police in addressing the report’s findings and ensuring that children are kept safe in the city and the county. North Yorkshire Police have also set out their commitment to me to ensure officers and staff are provided with the skills, capability and capacity to do their job well.”
