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.
The HMIC report, "Integrity Matters", examines the capability of all police forces in England and Wales to address misconduct and ensure than appropriate processes are in place to prevent and tackle corruption. The national report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
PEEL is the programme in which HMIC draws together evidence from its annual all-force inspections. The evidence is used to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of the police. HMIC has introduced these assessments so that the public will be able to judge the performance of their force and policing as a whole. The effectiveness of a force is assessed in relation to how it carries out its responsibilities including cutting crime, protecting the vulnerable, tackling anti-social behaviour, and dealing with emergencies and other calls for service. Its efficiency is assessed in relation to how it provides value for money. Its legitimacy is assessed in relation to whether the force operates fairly, ethically and within the law. The evidence from inspections, together with the context within which forces operate, allows HMIC to make an assessment of each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In recent years, HMIC has undertaken inspections of specific subjects or services, known as thematic inspections. These consider subjects in depth, identifying problems and good practice, and providing detailed judgments in relation to specific aspects of policing. Even when the findings of thematic inspections are viewed together, they cannot provide a rounded assessment of every aspect of what police forces do. PEEL has been developed to fill this gap. The 2014 PEEL assessment is the first step away from a thematic approach towards one which will consider the full breadth and complexity of what the police do, using criteria that allow graded judgments to be made. Thematic inspections will continue to be used to complement and contribute to the PEEL annual assessment. The Sussex "Crime Inspection 2014" report can be viewed here. The Sussex "Police Integrity and Corruption" report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
In its 2013/2014 inspection programme, approved by the Home Secretary under section 54 of the Police Act 1996, HMIC committed to carry out an inspection into the way the 43 police forces in England and Wales record crime data. This inspection, carried out between February and August 2014, was the most extensive of its kind that HMIC has ever undertaken into crime data integrity. The report includes specific recommendations for each force on how to improve the accuracy of, and therefore public confidence in, the way the police records crime. The national report can be viewed here. The Sussex report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
In July 2012, the Home Office published the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR). The document sets out the threats that require a national policing capability to ensure they are tackled effectively. The threats are:
- Terrorism
- Civil emergencies
- Organised crime
- Threats to public order
- A large-scale cyber incident
All forces and Police and Crime Commissioners must have regard to the SPR when setting their local policing plans. The SPR states that HMIC will provide assurance that the preparation and delivery of those requirements set out in the SPR have been subject to a proportionate and risk-based testing and inspection regime. The HMIC report, "The Strategic Policing Requirement: An inspection of the arrangements that police forces have in place to meet the SPR", examines how well police forces have established the arrangements that the SPR requires them to have in place to counter a number of specified threats to national security and public safety. It is based on data and documentary evidence provided by all 43 police forces in England and Wales in July 2013. The national report can be viewed here. The Sussex report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
This HMIC report examines all 43 police forces in England and Wales. It looks at three principal aspects of day-to-day policing:
- the prevention of crime;
- how crime is investigated and offenders are brought to justice;
- and freeing up and using police time more efficiently (which includes the use of modern technology).
The report merges three complementary inspections into a single assessment. The national report can be viewed here. The Sussex letter can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
In September 2013, HMIC was commissioned by the Home Secretary to inspect the response of the police forces in England and Wales to domestic violence and abuse. The report examines the effectiveness of the police service's approach to domestic violence and abuse, focuses on the outcomes for victims and identifies whether the risks to victims of domestic violence and abuse are adequately managed. The national report can be viewed here. The Sussex report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
This report examines how effectively and fairly the police service is using the powers of Stop and Search in the fight against crime, whether the powers are being used tactically as part of evidence-based practice and how the powers can be used in a way that builds the public's trust in the police. The report can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here.
This report shows the findings of the third year of valuing the police inspections, with data collected and forces inspected between March 2013 and June 2013. HMIC’s overall assessment for Sussex is good and shows that the force is on track to meet the challenge of this comprehensive savings review. The report can be viewed here
PCC's Response
The PCC's response can be viewed here
This consultation seeks views on HMIC’s proposed inspection programme for 2013/2014. The consultation can be viewed here.
PCC's Response
Whilst broadly supportive of the proposed inspections the Commissioner would like to see the area of Mental Health and Custody included and, in particular, the use of the police as a place of safety and the role of other agencies.