Report Summary
HMICFRS recently published an annual assessment of policing in England and Wales, with this report noting findings and recommendations relevant to Scotland, as well as an outline of related oversight provided by the Authority.
Summary/Findings - 1. The police aren’t always focusing on the issues that matter most to the public
Public perception and victim experience of the police: Research shows that victims are becoming less satisfied with how they are treated by police. The HMICFRS police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspections include a victim service assessment, which considers a victim’s experience from the initial point of contact with police. HMICFRS note that on “too many occasions”, police fail to give an adequate level of service to victims.
Factors affecting police performance: This includes demands placed on policing and the lack of resources at the disposal of police. HMICFRS discuss the fact that policing has historically been unsuccessful at making a “compelling” case for funding due to difficulties in specifying demand. This section also notes that the state of the wider criminal justice system (including the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS], courts, prisons and the Probation Service) also impacts the efficacy of policing.
The role of the police needs to be more tightly defined: The role of police has expanded over recent years. The impact of mental health calls is also specifically called out as an example of police time “being spent performing the work of other public services”.
