HMICFRS Inspection Reports
The PCC has a statutory duty to comment on reports published by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFRS) about Sussex Police. To make these easily accessible and to keep the public fully informed about any responses the PCC has made to HMICFRS, a copy of the response will be published below, together with links to the relevant report.
As part of the integrity inspection programme, HMICFRS assess how well police forces in England and Wales manage the vetting of their police officers and staff, uphold the standards of professional behaviour, and tackle potential corruption.
All police forces inspected through the integrity programme receive separate graded judgments for vetting, professional standards and counter-corruption.
The report can be viewed here.
In January 2024, the [previous] Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to inspect how effectively the police and National Crime Agency tackle organised immigration crime (OIC) in England and Wales.
During the inspection, HMICFRS examined:
- how the response of law enforcement agencies to OIC was led;
- the initial response to suspected immigration crime incidents;
- the management of information and intelligence;
- how OIC groups were targeted by law enforcement; and
- organisational learning and training for officers and staff.
HMICFRS made ten recommendations in the report designed to improve how UK law enforcement agencies identify and tackle the organised crime groups responsible for immigration crime.
The report can be viewed here.
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
On Monday 29 July 2024, three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, were murdered in a knife attack in Southport. Following these tragic events, widespread unrest and serious disorder broke out in many towns and cities across the UK.
On 6 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to carry out a rapid review into the policing response to the disorder, to identify lessons for the future. The commission divided the work into two tranches.
On 18 December 2024, HMICFRS published their report on the first part of this work, ‘An inspection of the police response to the public disorder in July and August 2024: Tranche 1’. It set out findings across the following areas:
- the police service’s public order public safety (POPS) capacity and capabilities;
- the police service’s ability to mobilise police officers across police force areas to respond to the disorder; and
- how the well-being and resilience of officers might be affected by repeated exposure to incidents of disorder.
This is the Tranche 2 report which sets out findings on the police service’s:
- use of an intelligence-led approach;
- arrangements for tackling online content and social media; and
- crime investigations.
The report can be viewed here.
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
The effective investigation of crime is fundamental to the legitimacy of policing and to public confidence. It also influences how safe people feel and it prevents future offending.
There has been a long-term decline in successful prosecutions, meaning that too few criminal investigations are leading to justice for victims.
Therefore, as part of the programme of inspections between 2022-2025, HMICFRS inspected how effectively the police investigate crime.
During the inspection, HMICFRS saw numerous examples of initiatives police forces have introduced to improve the standard of crime investigations and achieve better outcomes for victims.
The report made 11 recommendations to help forces improve the standard of their crime investigations and achieve better outcomes for victims by:
- building a better understanding of their crime-related demand and the resources they need so they can meet it;
- designing more effective processes for recording, assessing, allocating and investigating crime, putting victims at the heart of the process;
- providing better training for investigators, their supervisors, and any other officers or members of staff who have a role in an investigation; and
- improving the supervision of crime investigations.
The focus of this report is on volume crime.
The report can be viewed here.
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
On 29 July 2024, three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, were killed in a knife attack in Southport. Following these tragic events, widespread unrest and violent disorder broke out in many towns and cities across the UK.
On 6 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to carry out a rapid review into the policing response to the disorder, to identify lessons for the future. The commission divided the work into two tranches. The terms of reference for Tranche 1 required HMICFRS to examine:
- the police service’s public order public safety capacity and capabilities;
- the police service’s ability to mobilise officers across police force areas to respond to the disorder; and
- how the well-being and resilience of officers might be affected by repeated exposure to incidents of disorder.
The second report, which is scheduled to be published later in 2025, will set out findings on:
- intelligence relating to violent disorder;
- social media misinformation and disinformation that inflamed, incited or brought about more widespread disorder; and
- investigations into offences.
In this report, HMICFRS have set out our findings on the first tranche of the review.
The report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
This His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) report focuses on the police response to anti-social behaviour.
It also highlights examples of positive practice and joint working between the police and other organisations to address anti-social behaviour.
HMICFRS drew on evidence from academic research, national guidance and findings from the:
- police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) programme;
- force management statements [self-assessments that chief constables and their mayoral equivalents prepare and submit each year];
- request for promising practice that was sent to all police forces by the College of Policing; and
- publicly available data.
The report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
In November 2022, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and senior representatives from the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) and College of Policing received a super-complaint submitted by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium.
The super-complaint is about the police response to stalking.
HMICFRS, IOPC and the College of Policing have published a report in response to this super-complaint.
Following a joint investigation, recommendations have been made to the Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council, Chief Constables, Police & Crime Commissioners [or equivalents], Association of Police & Crime Commissioners, Ministry of Justice, and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response to recommendations 15 and 16 can be viewed within the Sussex Police response here.
In September 2023, the [former] Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to inspect the extent to which police involvement in politically contested matters may be having an impact on operational policing, by influencing policing policy, priorities and practice.
HMICFRS explored how the police deal with politicised and contested matters and examined whether the police allow politics or activism to unduly influence them.
The inspection took place between October 2023 and December 2023, with fieldwork carried out in 12 police force areas across England and Wales.
This report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
As part of the police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspections, HMICFRS have inspected how well police forces tackle serious and organised crime (SOC).
In 2022, HMICFRS changed the way that this aspect of policing is inspected to incorporate inspections of the 10 individual regions, as well as the 9 regional organised crime units (ROCUs) throughout England and Wales, and the 43 individual police forces. This improves the overall understanding of how well forces and ROCUs work together to tackle SOC.
This report includes sections on the following:
- Regional findings – a summary of inspection evidence.
- The ROCU and individual forces – the ROCU and each individual force are given a graded judgment.
The forces in this report are Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Surrey, Sussex and Thames Valley.
The report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
Operation Soteria is an unprecedented programme to transform how the Crown Prosecution Service and police forces across England and Wales respond to rape and other serious sexual offences (RASSO).
Soteria aims to create effective suspect-focused RASSO investigations, where the police support victims and understand their needs. It also aims to make sure intelligence, analysis and digital forensics are used effectively to support cases.
Since 2021, 19 early adopter forces have been putting Soteria in place via the National Operating Model.
In May 2023, the [former] Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to carry out an inspection of the 9 early adopter forces to evaluate their progress made so far.
This report can be viewed here.
PCC's response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.