Bedfordshire Police rated Inadequate when investigating crime in damning new report
Bedfordshire Police needs to improve how well it investigates crime and the service it provides to victims, the police inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Bedfordshire Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was adequate in four areas, requires improvement in four areas and inadequate in one area (investigating crime).
And while it acknowledged Bedfordshire Police is operating in a “challenging environment” it added the force hasn’t made enough improvements in leadership and force management, preventing and deterring crime, responding to the public or investigating crime since the force’s last inspection. And it said Bedfordshire Police hasn’t addressed weaknesses in governance and oversight which continue to affect performance across several areas.
Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst KPM said the force recognises the need to progress further - and says improvement plans are in place.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “Bedfordshire Police has well-regarded and visible leaders who understand their operating environment, but I have concerns about the performance of the force in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service.
“Bedfordshire Police hasn’t made enough improvements in leadership and force management, prevention and deterrence, responding to the public or investigating crime since our last inspection. The force has deteriorated in the area of investigating crime, and urgent improvement is needed.
“However, Bedfordshire Police operates in a challenging environment. The force is one of the smallest geographically and among the lowest funded per head of population. But it faces levels of demand associated with serious and organised crime, gang activity, firearms offending, county lines and vulnerability that are disproportionate to its size.
“This context doesn’t diminish the importance of the areas for improvement we identified during our inspection. But it is an important factor when considering the force’s performance, capacity and pace of change.”
The report stated: “Bedfordshire Police has deteriorated in the area of investigating crime, and this is a significant concern.
"The force isn’t consistently providing a quality investigative service. Weaknesses in supervision, investigation standards and victim contact are affecting outcomes. As a result, victims don’t always receive the service they should expect and the force can miss opportunities to bring offenders to justice.”
The report states: “Ineffective governance and oversight of investigations are limiting the force’s ability to achieve better outcomes and provide a high-quality service to victims” – noting it as a ‘cause of concern ’.
It adds that the force also isn’t meeting expected standards when responding to the public. It needs to do more to make sure officers attend incidents quickly enough and resources are deployed in a way that best meets demand and manages risk. Prevention and deterrence also require improvement and fraud performance isn’t yet where it needs to be to provide a satisfactory service to victims.
However, inspectors found that the force’s leadership is viewed positively across the organisation. Use of police powers is also a relative strength, with effective scrutiny arrangements promoting lawful use of powers, and safeguarding arrangements are generally effective. The force has also shown a commitment to technological innovation to help manage demand in a constrained financial environment.
The chief constable explained funding and demand pressures "directly affect our performance, capacity and pace of change, but do not lessen our responsibility to improve".
And he added: "Despite these challenges we are responding to incidents quicker, solving more crimes, have strengthened our management of outstanding suspects, increased our use of domestic violence prevention orders and invested in more trained detectives to improve outcomes for victims and communities.
"I am proud of our officers and staff for their professionalism and commitment in delivering that progress in what is an incredibly difficult environment."
The report identified a forecast budget shortfall of £12.8 million over the next four years – but says the force has identified a range of savings and efficiency measures to help address this gap.
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard said: “The Chief Constable and I continue to press the government to revise the police funding formula and fund our police service in ways that match the volume and complexity of demand. More money used wisely and prudently would contribute to securing long term performance improvement.”