'Outstanding' Humberside Police gets the 'strongest set of grades of any force in the country'

The force was graded “outstanding” in six areas by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) including preventing crime, treatment of the public and use of resources. It was “good” in two areas – including investigating crime – and “adequate” at recording crime.

Chief Constable Lee Freeman said his promise to staff when he took over in 2017 that they would be the country’s top performing force had come true. It had been a “remarkable journey” and staff had repaid his confidence in them “in bucketloads”.

Among its findings the force was rated “outstanding” at prevention and deterrence including using a mobile IT app which highlighted high-crime areas and deployed officers on highly visible patrols “which has been shown to reduce crime”. It also had the highest rate of arresting offenders per 1,000 population of any police force.

But the report said there “is sometimes a lack of effective supervision of investigations” resulting in some “not being thorough”. Mr Freeman said some victims of crime would read the headlines and know they hadn’t had the service they have a right to expect. He said: “Do we get it right every single time? Of course we don’t. We get 1,500 to 2,000 calls every day. Do we get every single one right in terms of the victim? No.”

And he unveiled plans to set up a dedicated domestic abuse investigation team and put extra resources into local CID and more serious organised crime – around another 150 investigators.

Recent Home Office data shows the force had the highest overall rate for solving crime at 16.5 per cent. Mr Freeman said: “The goal is that everybody gets the service we would be happy with for our own family, that’s the touchstone.”

Mr Freeman said the gamechanger had been the number of police officers rising from 1,550 to 2,300 and “going back to basics” with officers “owning” the areas where they work.

He'd also returned 24/7 working to police stations in Pocklington, Withernsea, Beverley and Barton, as well as reopening staff gyms and canteens “and employing cooks so people can have hot food and feel like the organisation does give a monkey’s.”

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “This is an excellent report and Humberside Police should be applauded for its efforts to keep the public safe.”

East Riding Council opposition leader David Nolan was a victim of crime last July when his house was broken into and his car stolen. He said: “I am a bit flabbergasted with the rate of progress. Congratulations to all staff and officers for achieving that, but I am not sure it coincides with my residents’ experience. I’m not seeing the level of policing we’d like to see on the streets.” In February the force had the region’s highest resolution rate for burglaries at 7.9 per cent of cases, but 91.4 per cent had no resolution. Councillor Nolan said: “I’m one of the 92 per cent that are still waiting.”