PEEL: Police Effectiveness 2017 – South Yorkshire Police
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PEEL: Police effectiveness 2017 An inspection of South Yorkshire Police March 2018 © HMICFRS 2018 ISBN: 978-1-78655-557-1 www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs Contents Force in numbers ..................................................................................................... 3 Risk-based inspection ............................................................................................. 5 Effectiveness overview ............................................................................................ 6 Preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour ............................................ 8 Prioritising prevention ............................................................................................. 8 Understanding communities ................................................................................... 9 Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour .............................................................. 10 Investigating crime and reducing re-offending ................................................... 13 Initial investigation ................................................................................................ 13 Investigation quality .............................................................................................. 14 Reducing re-offending .......................................................................................... 16 Protecting vulnerable people and supporting victims ........................................ 18 Identifying vulnerability ......................................................................................... 18 Initial response ..................................................................................................... 19 Mental health ........................................................................................................ 21 Investigating crimes involving vulnerable people .................................................. 23 Partnership working .............................................................................................. 25 Specialist capabilities ............................................................................................ 27 National policing responsibilities ........................................................................... 27 Firearms capability ................................................................................................ 28 Annex A – About the data ...................................................................................... 30 2 Force in numbers 3 *Figures are shown as proportions of outcomes assigned to offences recorded in the 12 months to 30 June 2017. For further information about the data in this graphic please see annex A. 4 Risk-based inspection HMICFRS adopted an interim risk-based approach to inspection in 2017 in order to focus more closely on areas of policing where risk to the public is most acute.1 Under this approach, not all forces are assessed against every part of the PEEL effectiveness programme every year. South Yorkshire Police was assessed against the following areas in 2017: • Preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour; • Investigating crime and reducing re-offending; • Protecting vulnerable people; and • Specialist capabilities. Judgments from 20162 remain in place for areas which were not re-inspected in 2017. HMICFRS will continue to monitor areas for improvement identified in previous inspections and will assess how well each force has responded in future reports. 1 Full details of the interim risk-based approach are available from the HMICFRS website: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/peel-assessments/how-we-inspect/2017-peel- assessment/#risk-based 2 The 2016 effectiveness report for South Yorkshire Police can be found on the HMICFRS website: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/peel-police-effectiveness-2016-south-yorkshire 5 Effectiveness overview Judgments Overall effectiveness 2017 Good Last Question Grade inspected Preventing crime and tackling anti-social 2017 behaviour Good Investigating crime and reducing re- 2017 offending Good Protecting vulnerable people 2017 Requires improvement Tackling serious and organised crime 2016 Good Specialist capabilities Ungraded 2017 Summary South Yorkshire Police is good at keeping people safe and reducing crime. Since HMICFRS' 2016 effectiveness report, the force has made progress in several areas. HMICFRS is pleased to see the positive effect recent improvements have had across the force, particularly in neighbourhood policing and investigations. Further action is needed to ensure the force is providing all vulnerable people with an effective service. South Yorkshire Police is effective in its approach to reducing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe. The force has invested further in its neighbourhood policing and safer neighbourhood services, working jointly with 6 partner organisations (such as local authorities, or health and education services). It is good at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour through joint problem solving and the use of tactics and interventions. The force evaluates most local problem-solving activity but it does not yet have a full understanding of the overall effect of its crime- prevention activity across the force area. South Yorkshire Police is generally good at investigating crimes. The force effectively investigates some crimes over the telephone, through its new crime support hub and its dedicated investigation teams. However, we found that some initial evidence gathering is adversely affected when officers are not able to respond promptly enough. The force achieves good investigative outcomes (such as charge or no further action) and appropriate arrangements are in place to prevent re- offending, although it could do more to understand how effective these are. The force must improve its ability to protect people who are vulnerable through their age, disability, or because they have been subjected to repeated offences, or are at high risk of abuse, for example. The force responds well to immediate calls for service from those people who are vulnerable, but we are concerned that, due to increased demand, it cannot respond to all priority calls in a timely way. This means that some vulnerable victims may not receive a sufficiently rapid response to keep them safe. The force is generally good at investigating crimes involving vulnerable people, but we found that the quality of some investigations suffered as a result of a delayed response by officers, and subsequent workload pressures within specialist investigations. The force protects and supports vulnerable people well through arrangements it has in place with partner organisations, and manages the risk posed by dangerous and sexual offenders. South Yorkshire Police has the necessary arrangements in place to fulfil its national responsibilities, and to respond to an attack requiring an armed response. It is taking steps to increase the number of officers it needs who are trained to respond to public order incidents. 7 Preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour Good Prioritising prevention South Yorkshire Police has a clear vision for crime prevention, which is a central part of its approach to neighbourhood policing. The force’s priorities are clearly communicated to staff and officers through its plan-on-a page. This describes ‘What we have to deliver’ as: neighbourhood policing and protecting the vulnerable; proactively understanding and preventing crime and harm; and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. In HMICFRS' 2016 effectiveness report, we said that the force needed to improve the way it prevents crime, tackles anti-social behaviour and keeps people safe. Following that inspection, the force began a review of its policing model and recognised that it had prioritised responding to immediate calls for service over the availability of officers to listen to communities and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. The chief constable and chief officers have engaged with and listened to local communities through a series of consultative events and surveys designed to seek their views. The force’s new approach to neighbourhood policing has been informed by these views. Its approach focuses on problem solving, crime prevention and early partnership-based interventions with individuals and families, and in specific locations. The force has reinstated its dedicated neighbourhood policing officers. It has moved 387 officer posts back into neighbourhood policing teams, and recruited 12 officers through Police Now.3 Including the existing police community support officers (PCSOs), the teams now have the time to carry out proactive and preventative activities. These teams focus on the areas of greatest need across the force area. Officers are only occasionally taken away from their local prevention roles, to respond to urgent incidents or support major events. At the time of our 2017 inspection, the force was developing guidance to define the amount of time neighbourhood staff are expected to spend carrying out their main preventative activities, and it was planning to run external training in January 2018, with participation by partner organisations. Most officers and PCSOs have the basic problem-solving skills they need, and the force provides very structured guidance which helps them to prevent crime and solve problems more effectively. Each neighbourhood policing team is supported by a safer