Source · HMICFRS

PEEL Assessment 2023-25: Devon and Cornwall Police

10 July 2024 PEEL Force Inspection 9 recommendations 3 causes for concern 22 areas for improvement

PEEL 2023-25 inspection findings for Devon and Cornwall Police

Applicable forces

Causes for concern

Concern Open Devon and Cornwall Police is still failing to record crime correctly Since our last inspection in 2022, the force has made some improvements to its standards of violent crime-recording. But it needs to do more to make sure all crimes are recorded correctly. As a result of the changes made to the way forces record crimes, we are unable to compare our findings with those from our 2022 audit. But the force has made some improvements to how it records violent crimes. And it has continued to record sexual offences well, with the exception of rape crimes. But it needs to do more to make sure the standard of all crime recording is acceptable. The force must improve how it records reports of rape. We found eight rape crimes hadn’t been recorded correctly, two rape crimes hadn’t been recorded at all, two rape crimes were incorrectly classified as other crimes, and four further rape crimes were incorrectly recorded as reported incidents of rape (N100). In addition, we found seven occasions where reported incidents of rape (N100s) should have been recorded, but weren’t. In 2022, we found five rape crimes hadn’t been recorded. The force must make sure that rape crimes and incidents are recorded correctly, and victims receive the appropriate level of service from the police. The force is still failing to record enough crimes in cases where incidents are categorised as antisocial behaviour personal (ASB P). We examined 50 incidents closed as ASB P. Of these, 11 crimes should have been recorded, but only 4 were actually recorded. In 2022, we found 23 crimes associated with antisocial behaviour should have been recorded, but only 3 were correctly recorded. Victims of antisocial behaviour are often subjected to abuse and torment for substantial periods of time. Failing to record crimes and provide an effective service to tackle antisocial behaviour can mean victims live in fear in their own homes and are repeatedly targeted by people in the local community or who live next door. The force carries out limited crime-recording audits. As a result, it isn’t able to accurately identify where it is failing to record crimes properly. And this limits what measures it can put in place to improve crime recording. Senior leaders aren’t aware of the force performance and areas of crime-recording that need to be improved. By carrying out regular and targeted audits, the force will be able to identify how well it records crimes, take action to record crimes, and address the reasons for the crimes being missed. Devon and Cornwall Police

Concern Open The force needs to make sure it carries out effective investigations that lead to satisfactory results for victims e found the force hasn’t made enough progress in improving the standard of its investigations since our previous PEEL inspection. As a result, not enough offenders are being brought to justice. We acknowledge that the force does a good job of investigating many of the most serious crimes. But in our review, we found only 47 out of 66 investigations had an investigation plan. Investigation plans, outlined in the College of Policing’s authorised professional practice, support investigators to make sure they make the most of all available opportunities to gather evidence. We found cases where there were significant failings and victims had been let down. Our victim service assessment found evidence of effective supervision in only 45 out of 85 cases. During our inspection, supervisors told us they didn’t have time to complete all the supervisory tasks that they should. They also told us they had large crime caseloads because there weren’t enough skilled investigators. They had to work extra hours, including rest days, to get work completed. As a result, the force isn’t always achieving acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. The number of crimes that are solved following investigations is low. The correct outcome was applied in only 38 of 55 cases and supervision of the outcome took place in 44 out of 67 cases. Devon and Cornwall Police is also failing to support victims. We found evidence the victim was consulted before a specific outcome was applied in only 35 of 47 cases we reviewed. A victim needs assessment was completed in only 71 out of 89 cases. Victim contracts were considered in only 37 out of 70 cases. Victims received an appropriate level of service in only 59 out of 100 cases. Although the force does have governance arrangements and processes in place, we found crime investigations weren’t managed as effectively as they could be. e found that some processes were missing or ineffective, or weren’t clearly defined. Devon and Cornwall Police

Concern Open The force needs to improve the time it takes to answer non-emergency calls The force needs to reduce the number of non-emergency calls the caller abandons because they aren’t answered. People who need a service from the police can be left waiting for long periods of time for their call to be answered. As set out in the 2020 national contact management strategy principles and guidance, forces with a switchboard should aim to have an abandonment rate lower than 5 percent. The force told us that, in the year ending February 2024, its abandonment rate for all 101 calls was 48 percent. Some callers to 101 are then calling 999, affecting answering times for emergency calls and making this service less efficient and effective. The force acknowledges it needs to make substantial, sustainable improvements. Since our last inspection, it has upgraded its IT systems, introduced call back and changed its operating model. These changes improved the force’s ability to answer 999 calls. But it needs to do more work to understand 101 abandonments. The force told us there had been some overall improvement in the number of calls being abandoned and it is developing a deeper understanding of the reasons for call abandonments. Data that the force provided supports this, but this performance improvement needs to continue. Devon and Cornwall Police

Recommendations

R1.1 Open Take steps to identify and address gaps in its systems and processes for identifying and recording reports made by victims of crimes, giving particular attention to crimes of rape and reported incidents of rape, assaults, course of conduct crimes, domestic abuse related crimes, and crimes associated with antisocial behaviour. Within three months, the force should:. Devon and Cornwall Police

R1.2 Open Provide specific training for all supervisors, officers and staff who work in crime-recording roles, which should include the crime-recording requirements for crimes of rape and reported incidents of rape, assaults, course of conduct crimes, domestic abuse related crimes, and crimes associated with antisocial behaviour. Devon and Cornwall Police

R1.3 Open On a regular basis, audit and monitor areas where there are known gaps in the accuracy of crime-recording and make sure it has effective governance and oversight so that it can understand its crime-recording performance fully. Devon and Cornwall Police

R13.1 Open Make sure investigation plans are appropriate and that supervisors can make sure all appropriate investigative opportunities are taken (an area for improvement from our previous PEEL inspection that hasn’t been met). Devon and Cornwall Police

R13.2 Open Make sure investigations are carried out without unnecessary delays. Devon and Cornwall Police

R13.3 Open Implement appropriate governance and monitoring processes to make sure that the outcomes used are appropriate and comply with force and national policies (an area for improvement from our previous PEEL inspection that hasn’t been met). Devon and Cornwall Police

R13.4 Open Make sure a victim contract is completed and a victim needs assessment is carried out where appropriate. Devon and Cornwall Police

R9.1 Open Improve its processes for answering non-emergency calls so that it answers them without unnecessary delay. Devon and Cornwall Police

R9.2 Open Review its governance, oversight and data processes to understand why the rate of abandoned calls remains high. Devon and Cornwall Police

Areas for improvement

AFI The force needs to make sure it answers emergency calls quickly enough Devon and Cornwall Police needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency calls for service. We have seen improvements since our previous inspection. In the year ending 31 December 2023, the force answered 79.3 percent of its 999 calls within 10 seconds. This was an improvement but still lower than the standard expected for forces in England and Wales of answering 90 percent of 999 calls within 10 seconds. force and the time taken by that force to answer the call. We recognise that the force has made improvements in this area. The force has changed some processes. It has also introduced new IT and a new approach to managing demand. There is good oversight and governance of the force control room. Force data indicates that in February 2024 it met the national standard for answering 90 percent of 999 calls within 10 seconds. The force should make sure this improvement is sustained, particularly when demand is increased during the busy summer period. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure ongoing risk is assessed when calls are placed in a queue We reviewed the queues of incidents awaiting police officer attendance and were disappointed to find that many of the incidents related to vulnerable victims, including those subject to domestic abuse. Apart from emergency and priority calls, supervisors didn’t have an effective overview of risk or deployment decisions. This meant incidents that had been risk assessed at point of call as suitable for a delayed response weren’t always subject to a review of the risk after they had been placed in a queue and had awaited attendance for some time. This could mean that people are left unsupported and may be exposed to further risk. It also means people’s expectations aren’t met and they are more likely to lose confidence and disengage from police support. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force needs to attend calls for service in line with its published target attendance times We found Devon and Cornwall Police correctly prioritises calls based on risk, but several factors affect how promptly units are able to attend. These include the number of calls against the number of officers available, the availability of serviceable vehicles and trained drivers, and the large rural area the force covers, which means officers sometimes must travel a long distance to attend calls. We found that out of 82 incidents reviewed, only 47 were attended within the force’s target attendance times. At the time of our inspection, the force had recently introduced additional measures to make sure calls are assigned to frontline officers more quickly. It is also increasing capacity in crime investigation teams, where crimes and incidents can be promptly resolved or directed to neighbourhood or teams. This should reduce demand on frontline officers and so improve overall attendance times. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force doesn’t consistently achieve appropriate outcomes for victims Devon and Cornwall Police isn’t always achieving acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. It has low numbers of crimes that are solved following investigations. It needs to understand the issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. In the year ending 30 September 2022, Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 88,515 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 7.8 percent were assigned an ‘offences brought to justice’ outcome. This was within the normal range compared to other forces in England and Wales. have been revised since. Victim-based crimes are defined as all police-recorded crimes where there is a direct victim, such as an individual, an organisation or a corporate body. Between the year ending 30 September 2021 and the year ending 30 September 2022, the proportion of victim-based crimes assigned Outcome 14: Evidential difficulties (suspect not identified; victim does not support action) decreased from 1.4 percent to 0.7 percent. This value was low compared to the 6.0 percent average for forces across England and Wales. Between the year ending 30 September 2021 and the year ending 30 September 2022, the proportion of victim-based crimes assigned Outcome 16: Evidential difficulties (suspect identified; victim does not support or withdraws support) decreased from 22.1 percent to 11.7 percent. This value was lower than the average for forces across England and Wales, which was 23.6 percent. The force is responding to the challenges we identified. During our inspection, the force told us dedicated teams are working on reducing backlogs. It is also implementing a new operating model for its investigations, Project Synergy. Investigations are now managed centrally rather than by four separate basic command units and the force plans to move its detectives into larger hubs to improve effectiveness. The project began in July 2023 and the first hub is operational. The project is scheduled for full implementation in 2024/25. Devon and Cornwall Police has also reviewed its operating model for investigation of domestic abuse cases. It has introduced new teams in each of its four basic command units. These teams are responsible for domestic abuse crime investigations that would previously have been allocated to response officers, freeing up response officer capacity. These changes should make how crimes are allocated and investigated consistent across the force, which should lead to improved outcomes. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure it applies consistent domestic abuse secondary risk assessment gradings and provides full information about vulnerable children and adults in referrals to social care partners The force isn’t consistent in how it shares information about vulnerable adults and children with partner agencies. e found officers didn’t have enough knowledge and training on carrying out risk assessments of vulnerability. Public protection notices weren’t of consistent quality. Public protection notices are documents that record safeguarding concerns about an adult or child and are shared with partner agencies to inform a multi-agency response. We found examples of referrals to children’s social care that didn’t include all police information, meaning social care partners may make decisions on service needs without knowing the full risk to the child or adult. Officers attending domestic abuse related incidents complete a risk assessment called a DASH (domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and honour-based violence) checklist, which grades the level of risk to the victim from the perpetrator. It also informs the immediate protection required by police and referral pathways for support. During our inspection, we found standard risk public protection notices which should have been medium or high risk because officers hadn’t considered previous offender and victim histories. The force has a secondary risk assessment process at the central referral units that checks the quality of the public protection notice. These don’t reassess the wider risk history if this hasn’t been added by the officer. This means the force may not be sharing the full risk picture with partners when making a referral. When considering repeat victims, understanding cumulative risk is important. This means not just viewing the most recent crime or incident in isolation, but also the full outline of what has happened before. This helps the force and partners to understand if there has been an increase in risk to the victim or in the frequency of offences. These are significant issues that affect the ability of Devon and Cornwall Police and its partners to protect vulnerable adults and children. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure its management and oversight of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme means disclosures are made within statutory time frames The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), also known as Clare’s Law, allows police forces to disclose information about previous violent or abusive offending by an individual in order to protect partners or ex-partners of that individual. We found a lack of consistency in how Devon and Cornwall Police manages the scheme. Force data suggests all disclosures are made within statutory time frames, but some local teams suggested that delays exist that mean these time frames are exceeded. e found the force didn’t have a current D DS dashboard to give an oversight of performance, but this is in development. At the time of our inspection, we found staff using locally stored spreadsheets, with decision-makers varying across geographical areas. In some areas, officers had introduced local solutions that didn’t inform senior leaders effectively. There were also different processes in place for completing a DVDS application, and some of these didn’t comply with force policy. For example, the wording added to the DVDS application should be completed or signed off by an inspector or equivalent, but we found this task was often delegated to sergeants or even constables. The force should make sure it uses and oversees the DVDS consistently and in line with national statutory guidance. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should improve its governance and approach to managing suspects and wanted persons During our inspection, officers showed they understood the requirements of the new bail legislation under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. But we found the force was inconsistent in its approach to managing bail and suspects released under investigation (RUI). We found examples of bail being converted to RUI without proper justification and without considering appropriate safeguarding arrangements. Sometimes bail is being converted to RUI to manage delays in the receipt of digital forensics or because the relevant officer wasn’t available on the day a suspect returned on bail. We also heard that suspects wanted on warrant were sometimes invited to the station on a voluntary basis. The force is developing its performance data to monitor bail and RUI. It is also introducing a bail portal. These are positive steps and should improve the force’s ability to oversee and understand how bail and RUI are used. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure it shares safeguarding information with local authorities at the earliest possible opportunity, before enforcement action, to effectively safeguard children from serious harm Devon and Cornwall Police doesn’t routinely share important safeguarding information with local authorities as soon as it could. For example, we found the management of sexual offenders and violent offenders team and police online investigation team had set a standard to notify partner agencies about children at risk 48 hours after the allocation of a crime. But this meant the force wasn’t sharing the information as soon as it could and this introduced unnecessary delays in consulting with social services to start safeguarding children. The force has now introduced a directive that the public protection notice must be submitted as soon as is practicable once it has been allocated. The force should assure itself that this directive is followed and referrals to social services are completed at the earliest possible opportunity when it believes a suspect has access to children. This would allow information-sharing to begin between the two services to help build an accurate picture of any risk the suspect poses. Unless the force shares information at an early stage, there may be a delay in safeguarding children. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure it addresses internal delays, adheres to time frames and shares intelligence effectively The force isn’t adhering to all time frames and isn’t addressing delays introduced by internal services such as the digital forensics unit or the criminal justice unit. It isn’t taking effective action against offenders who access indecent images of children, in line with Kent internet risk assessment tool time periods. The digital forensics unit is responsible for examining digital devices. The police online investigation team gives seized devices to the digital forensics unit for examination and there is an agreement in place for these to be expedited. But we found delays in the examination of devices and these exceeded the agreed internal time frames. The force is also failing to refresh intelligence when delays occur, which means they don’t know if the risk has changed, potentially leaving children at risk. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force still needs to improve how it records crimes involving vulnerable people The force doesn’t record all crimes in cases involving child protection or vulnerable adults. In our audit, we found that the force should have recorded 44 crimes, but it had only recorded 39. In 2022, we found 42 crimes involving vulnerable people should have been recorded, but only 35 actually were. It is important that accurate records are kept and crimes against vulnerable victims are recorded. This helps make sure crimes are fully investigated, offenders are brought to justice, and crime figures and data are complete. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force must effectively balance operational needs with supporting the welfare of its officers and staff During our inspection, officers and staff across Devon and Cornwall Police told us they were managing high demand. They said they needed to work from home on rest days to keep on top of the work. Overtime was also frequently used to manage high workloads and incoming demand. Time off in lieu was being accrued regularly. But sometimes leave requests were refused. The force also relied on the goodwill of its workforce to cover resource gaps. The force and officers told us the force ‘buys back’ time off in lieu every three months if it exceeds 0 hours, so officers don’t build up hours in lieu that can’t reasonably be taken. And that overtime was used to meet demand because it was cheaper than investing in more full-time equivalent staff. Although the force was adequately compensating its officers by taking this approach, it was clear that managing high demand in this way could negatively affect officers’ welfare and well-being. The force has a good range of well-being provision. ut some officers told us they couldn’t access this well-being assistance because high demand meant they couldn’t take time off to do so. The force should make sure it fully understands this complex picture. It needs to prioritise staff having appropriate respite from work pressures and being able to have a healthy work–life balance. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force must make sure officers have effective support from their supervisors to support their well-being, welfare and development Devon and Cornwall Police has a healthy ratio of supervisors to officers. Despite this, some staff told us they didn’t see their supervisors very often. In some instances, officers were assigned supervisors who were on different shift patterns. Some officers told us they hadn’t seen their line managers for up to six months. We found this varied depending on the location of officers in the force. It was less of a problem in the busier, main hubs of the force. But too often in other locations we found there was a lack of communication and a lack of visibility of supervisors. In more rural areas, officers were left without direct supervision for significant periods and were carrying high workloads that weren’t reviewed. They were often allocated additional work due to the locations they worked in and were expected to continue working on jobs after providing cover for others. Opportunities to spread the workload more fairly weren’t taken. The force should make sure it is able to fully understand the provision of supervisors and maximise the ability of officers to access supervisory support. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure leaders at all levels are visible so officers and staff are appropriately supported Chief officers in Devon and Cornwall are committed to attending all police stations in the force on a regular basis. This is supported by force briefings that are shared at various levels in the force, which provide information on decisions and priorities. But we found many officers and staff, especially those operating in the more remote parts of the force, didn’t regularly see managers. Some specialist officers and senior leaders were also less available in the remote parts of the force. The force should make sure officers and staff have regular access to managers to help it achieve its aims to improve and change through effective supervision. This will provide more informed feedback for the force and will support a better understanding of demand and whether its resourcing placement is effective. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should do more to understand demand in all areas of the force and how to support the workforce effectively The workforce repeatedly highlighted the high demand they were experiencing. We saw that officers had excessive workloads across all departments. But in those areas where supervision was effective and systems were used or understood better, officers were under less pressure and had manageable workloads. We found some working practices across the force were inconsistent and a lack of awareness across all areas as to how different local policing areas operated. ood practice in some areas wasn’t shared across the force. There was clear resistance locally to moving officers to different areas to meet demand, which restricted the force’s ability to manage demand effectively. The force is committed to managing local demand and supporting local communities. But this sometimes meant opportunities were missed to support the wider force during times of high demand. The force is increasing its use of data. It is developing apps for officers, staff and supervisors to help them access and record data to understand demand in more detail. These processes will support local leaders in understanding their teams and the pressures that demand creates. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure its investment in systems and processes improves productivity Devon and Cornwall Police has invested in laptops, apps and new information systems such as its crime recording system, NICHE. But we found a lack of analysis and understanding about how well these are used across the force. Despite having mobile devices, officers were still returning to the station to complete enquiries. Not all officers had been issued with the new equipment. NICHE was introduced in autumn 2022, but officers were still struggling to use the system because of poor implementation and a lack of awareness about how it works. There were some exceptions. For example, the neighbourhood teams used NICHE effectively for problem-solving and assigning work. But since NICHE was introduced, the force has also been unable to extract data and regularly report on its operations. For example, the force hasn’t been able to provide information on the outcomes assigned to its recorded crimes. The force also isn’t able to track the benefits of new equipment, systems and processes. Some work is being carried out by the strategic planning lead. But we saw limited examples of how the force understands investment and productivity, such as whether the changes being made are improving services and reducing cost. This needs wider support and understanding. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force needs to improve its governance of overtime and time-off-in-lieu spending Devon and Cornwall Police has overspent on overtime for the last five years. While this has reduced for the last financial period, the force is still using overtime to cover shortfalls in officers or to meet high demand. This is accepted by senior leaders as being cost effective and cheaper than employing additional officers. The force also buys back time off in lieu if it exceeds 30 hours. This is an additional financial liability. Time off in lieu differs from overtime in that it allows officers to take time off later. But the force has to hold time off in lieu as a financial liability (equivalent cost to the total time off in lieu bill) in case it needs to pay for this time instead. Officers and staff who leave the force are entitled to be paid for time owed. Also, officers who hold time off in lieu can use it to avoid working a period of notice if they decide to leave the force, which can have a negative effect on how the force can manage its workforce. But officers continuously working excessive hours isn’t good for their welfare. Overtime is recorded centrally and there is an app that details overtime use. But it wasn’t clear that the force understood time off in lieu in detail or whether this was information was included in the app. We recognise that overtime is important to manage demand, particularly when the force has significant incidents, such as the major incident in February 2024 when an unexploded Second World War bomb was found in Plymouth. But the continued spend indicates that the force needs to better understand its resourcing model. Overtime and use of time off in lieu may mask wider pressures being experienced by the workforce. This needs to be understood in more detail. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force still needs to improve how it records equality data The force’s data for victims of crime still shows that age and gender are well recorded, ethnicity is less well recorded and other protected characteristics aren’t well recorded. The force should be collecting this information to understand the extent to which each protected group is affected by crime, how this differs from those without the protected characteristics, and whether a different response is needed for these victims. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should give officers and supervisors more training on reasonable grounds for stop and search In our previous PEEL inspection in 2021/22, we issued an area for improvement: “The force should train officers and supervisors more on reasonable grounds for stop and search”. During this inspection, we found evidence of officers not being confident in using stop and search. The rates of stop and search in Devon and Cornwall are 3.4 per 1,000 population, compared to an England and Wales average of 8.6 per 1,000 population. A lack of training could affect officers’ confidence in using the power and contribute to the lower rate of use. We found training on stop and search still needed to be given to most officers. The force told us it has trained 400 officers in key roles and the training for other officers will be carried out by September 2024. Training is important to make sure officers use their powers legitimately and record the grounds for using them. If these grounds aren’t recorded properly, the person who was searched won’t have enough information to understand whether they have been treated lawfully and fairly. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should improve how it records its use of force and stop and search data and make sure results are published and accessible on its website The force was unable to supply accurate data for our use of force analysis or a full year’s data for our stop and search analysis. In 2022, the force introduced a new crime recording system. But it still has other systems that are awaiting updates to allow them to integrate effectively. This means the force can’t produce all the data it needs to understand how these powers are being used. The force is aware of this problem and told us it will be resolved later this year. Data for both stop and search and use of force wasn’t up to date on the force’s external website. Ethnicity data wasn’t well recorded. If the force can’t access accurate data, it can’t make sure its workforce are carrying out their roles in a legitimate manner and its training and scrutiny are effective. The public should be able to access up-to-date data that helps them understand how the force is using its powers. Without this data, the public can’t find out if they are being treated fairly or if the service is using its powers effectively to deter crime. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force should make sure neighbourhood officers aren’t diverted from their main duties to manage demand on response teams Neighbourhood policing officers are responsible for problem-solving and involving local communities in crime prevention. During our inspection, many neighbourhood officers told us they were continually diverted from their main duties in order to support other areas of the force, most commonly assisting response teams in attending incidents. Officers in more isolated areas told us they couldn’t spend enough time carrying out patrols, working with the public or doing preventative and problem-solving work because they were being diverted from their main role. The force does have a policy covering how these officers should be managed and it monitors the frequency and length of time they are diverted from their core role. But officers told us they don’t always report when they are requested to cover other duties, which means senior leaders aren’t always aware of the effects of the loss of this resource or the effects on local communities and officers. Senior leaders recognise the importance of neighbourhood policing and have invested in additional capacity and training that aims to give neighbourhood officers more time and skills to carry out their core role. This is important because these officers frequently work with partners on joint initiatives to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. We will review how effective the additional investment is as part of our continuous assessment of the force’s performance. Innovative practice Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI Devon and Cornwall Police has developed a Law Enforcement and Public Health app that helps support vulnerable people in its communities Law Enforcement and Public Health is an app officers can access on their mobile devices. The app links to a bespoke public health resource that police officers can use to signpost people to health and well-being services. The force gave us an example of the use of the app. A victim giving a statement about an incident of antisocial behaviour told the officer they felt isolated and trapped in their home. The officer showed them the app and used a QR code to give the victim access to the app on their phone so they could find mental well-being services that could help them. Devon and Cornwall Police

AFI The force has a multi-agency harm assessment project Devon and Cornwall Police has introduced Project NOVA. This is a multi-agency harm assessment project that brings together partners and agencies to manage high-harm perpetrators of severe antisocial behaviour and criminality. Project NOVA is new to the force. It uses three risk categories to manage offenders (peripheral risk, serious harm and highest harm). These risk categories determine what level of support, intervention or risk management is required. The project applies to all ages. All cases are submitted for discussion at a panel assessment. The force can make a panel assessment submission through a referral form accessed by a QR code on the officer’s mobile device. Devon and Cornwall Police