'˜Must do better': Two Yorkshire police forces '˜fail' their annual report

The South Yorkshire and Humberside forces were said to “require improvement”, with South Yorkshire officers told that recent changes to neighbourhood policing in the county had further weakened its operations.

In Humberside, where chief constable Justine Curran, 48, stepped down in February, police were said to display “weaknesses in identifying and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable people”.

Michael Cunningham, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said the force had “inconsistent processes for assessing the vulnerability of people when they contact the police, and there are too many occasions when the force does not respond promptly to those needing their help”.

In a further rebuke, he added: “I brought these shortcomings to the attention of the force last year. I am disappointed that they have not been adequately addressed.”

In his annual report on each force, Mr Cunningham said he had “some concerns about South Yorkshire Police’s approach to preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour”.

He said the force’s overall performance raised concerns and that officers had “a very limited understanding of the current and likely future demands for its services”.

The force has been hit by the fallout from the child grooming scandal in Rotherham and by the outcome of last year’s inquests on 96 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy, as well as calls for a public inquiry into its response to the miners’ strike at Orgreave in 1984,

Mr Cunningham said: “The impact of these challenges, in combination with the need to provide a continuing service to the people of South Yorkshire, has prompted me to pay particularly close attention to the force’s performance throughout the year.

“I have some concerns about South Yorkshire Police’s approach to preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. The changes the force made last year to the way it provides neighbourhood policing weakened its ability to tackle the threats facing the people of South Yorkshire effectively. Staff are regularly taken away from preventative neighbourhood work to cover more reactive duties.”

He said the force’s investigations of less complex crimes were of “an acceptable quality”, but added: “It needs to be more consistent in how it supervises investigations, and there is a significant backlog of digital evidence to be examined.”

He also said further improvements were needed in keeping vulnerable people safe.

Mr Cunningham said: “The quality of risk assessments made at the scene of domestic abuse incidents is poor, which affects subsequent decisions about safeguarding victims and referral to other services. I am also concerned about the quality of the force’s investigations of more complex crimes, and in particular those involving vulnerable victims.”

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said it had already taken action to address the concerns raised, such as having a clear focus on the management of domestic abuse and vulnerability.

“We are working urgently to address these issues and have introduced a process to improve the accountability of our safeguarding arrangements to victims,” she said. “We are also working closely with victims and their feedback is invaluable in helping to improve the service we provide.

The force is also developing a new policing model in response to criticisms about its work at neighbourhood level, but said this would take time.

The spokeswoman said: “Whilst we recognise the urgency of this work, we must get the new model right. Hence our investment in a rigorous research phase prior to implementation, during which we will consult with partners and members of the public at a series of consultation events with the Chief Constable.

“The views and concerns captured at these consultation events will mark the start of a programme of ongoing engagement and will inform the assessment into the force’s neighbourhood service, before changes are agreed and implemented.”

Responding to the criticisms about Humberside’s performance, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Lee Freeman said the force had fully accepted the recommendations made during its recent inspections.

“We continue to build on those areas highlighted as good and are addressing the areas where the need for improvements were highlighted,” he said.

“We are already seeing improvements in the way we protect vulnerable people and have made huge leaps forward in this area. These improvements have been acknowledged by the HMIC during their return visit, which acknowledged that we responded immediately to the issues raised.”

He said the force had invested in providing dedicated community policing teams and major technological developments due to be rolled out this year would help keep officers on the streets.

Mr Freeman went on to say he was confident that the force was now moving in the right direction, adding: “We are continually improving – and this is down to the hard work and dedication that our officers and support staff give every day.”