Source · HMICFRS

PEEL Assessment 2023-25: Hertfordshire Constabulary

15 October 2024 PEEL Force Inspection 1 causes for concern 15 areas for improvement

PEEL 2023-25 inspection findings for Hertfordshire Constabulary

Applicable forces

Causes for concern

Concern Open The constabulary is failing to record reports of crime correctly We estimate that Hertfordshire Constabulary is only recording 82.6 percent of all reported crime. Its performance is even worse for offences of violence against the person. We found it is recording only 75.7 percent of violence offences, with over half of unrecorded violent crimes being course of conduct crimes (harassment, stalking, and controlling and coercive behaviour). More than half of its unrecorded violent crimes are also domestic abuse cases. We found 16 crimes associated with antisocial behaviour that should have been recorded but the constabulary had only recorded one of these. Failure to record a crime often results in a victim not being properly safeguarded. It means no investigation takes place. And it leaves people living in fear in their own homes while being victimised by neighbours or other people in the community. Hertfordshire Constabulary

Areas for improvement

AFI The constabulary needs to make sure it has the resources and oversight to make full and timely use of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme The constabulary doesn’t make full use of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme ( , also known as Clare’s Law) right to know and right to ask. This allows police to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s previous abusive or violent offending. The scheme gives a victim the right to ask for information. The police in specific circumstances can proactively share this information under right to know. In the year ending 30 September 2023, Hertfordshire Constabulary recorded 262 right to ask applications and 89 such disclosures, which equated to 32.2 applications and 8.9 disclosures per 100,000 population. These values were lower than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. In the same year, the constabulary recorded 50 right to know applications and 6 such disclosures, which equated to 4.2 applications and 0.5 disclosures per 100,000 population. This was lower than expected compared to the average for forces in England and Wales. It means that only percent of the constabulary’s DVDS right to know applications led to disclosures during the year ending 30 September 2023. We raised this low use rate with the constabulary. It wasn’t aware of how much less it used DVDS than other forces in England and Wales. In January 2024, the constabulary completed an internal review, rewrote its policy for the DVDS and dedicated 0.5 of a member of police staff to improve processes. This increased Hertfordshire Constabulary’s use of the scheme. However, it didn’t anticipate the increase in demand, which has led to backlogs. As part of our inspection, we found that the constabulary had 91 live right to ask applications. Of these, 32 were outside the 28-day notice period for responding to these requests. We reviewed several cases, dating as far back as 21 February 2024, and found that the applicants may have been at risk. The constabulary has reviewed this area of work. In the short term, it is using overtime and resources from other parts of the organisation to improve the timeliness of applications. In the longer term, it plans to create a small team to provide an appropriate level of resourcing and oversight to this important area of activity. We will continue to monitor how the constabulary makes proper and consistent use of this scheme to protect vulnerable people. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to improve its performance in the safeguarding hub to better protect vulnerable people The constabulary’s safeguarding hub receives referrals from police officers about vulnerable individuals. The hub assesses these referrals and shares information with social care services and other safeguarding agencies who can protect vulnerable adults, children and young people. We found that the safeguarding hub didn’t have enough staff to deal with the demand. While there were few backlogs of referrals awaiting processing, there was a daily reliance on overtime to deal with this demand. We also found that the safeguarding hub returned some cases to officers with a request for more information. This was particularly the case where children’s details were missing. While the constabulary told us about processes to track these referrals, there wasn’t a process to check completion of such requests. In some cases, we found that referrals were closed without sharing them with appropriate agencies. The constabulary told us that since 1 April 2024, there have been over 3,000 police referrals to the safeguarding hub. An estimated 244 of these have been returned to officers as incomplete. The constabulary can’t confirm how many of these were returned with the requested details and then shared. So it can’t confirm if it has shared information appropriately with other agencies. This includes a potential delay in sharing within the Operation Encompass protocols, the expectation on police forces to share timely information with schools about all police attended incidents of domestic abuse, where there is a child connected to either adult. So Hertfordshire Constabulary may be missing opportunities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as directed in ‘Working Together to afeguard Children’ ( ). We raised our concerns about the safeguarding hub processes with the constabulary. It accepted that there was a need for urgent action. The constabulary has immediately taken steps to identify returned referrals and to improve its understanding of the issue. In the longer term it is working to improve its processes. It is developing training to improve the quality of referrals, and is looking outside the constabulary for best practice. The constabulary responded quickly to the concerns when we raised them. But it needs to improve its governance and performance monitoring to identify developing operational issues. We will monitor the effect of the steps the constabulary has taken to make sure that it shares appropriate information with safeguarding agencies in a timely way. Innovative practice Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary should make sure that it can adequately manage the risk posed by registered sex offenders in reactive management Authorised professional practice (APP) states that registered sex offenders must have been classed as low risk for three years, be offence and concern free during this time, and not be subject to a civil order, before being moved to reactive management (meaning they are no longer subject to a formal active risk management system risk assessment). However, if on a case-by-case basis forces deem a registered sex offender suitable for reactive management pending discharge of the civil order, they can consider reactive management. Hertfordshire Constabulary allows offenders who are subject to civil orders to enter reactive management. However, there were no plans to have these civil orders discharged at court. So the additional measures to effectively manage the individual are no longer properly monitored or enforced. This is contrary to the guidance within APP. Chief officers decided to deviate from APP in July 2020 so that officers and staff could focus on a more manageable number of offenders who present a higher risk. They made this decision despite offender managers carrying caseloads in line with APP guidance. We haven’t seen any evidence that this decision has been reviewed, or that the constabulary tracks this cohort of offenders to make sure this is the most suitable level of management. Where offenders have civil orders to manage their behaviour, the constabulary should make sure it adequately enforces these. The constabulary should review its decision to assure itself that it mitigates risk when moving offenders into reactive management. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary must effectively balance operational need with supporting the welfare of its officers and staff The constabulary offers a wide range of preventative and supportive well-being measures. But during our inspection, officers and staff across the constabulary told us that workload demands are affecting their well-being and ability to access these provisions. For example, to keep on top of the work, officers are working from home on rest days. In addition, the constabulary frequently uses overtime to manage high workloads and incoming demand. Officers regularly accrue rest days in lieu. This was the case across several teams and included some senior leaders. The constabulary introduced a crime workshop to support officers with managing their workloads. However, some officers we spoke to weren’t aware of this, or were unable to attend these in duty time due to workload pressures and demand. Tutor constables receive an additional rest day in recognition of the extra responsibility in tutoring student officers. However, we heard that tutors are often tutoring student officers back-to-back and some didn’t know how to claim these rest days or how to use them. The constabulary has an occupational health service that provides support to improve officer and staff well-being. However, we found a lack of awareness of what occupational health can offer, and how and when to refer people for support. And some officers weren’t released to attend their occupational health appointments due to minimum resourcing levels and incoming demand. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to use data and analysis to make sure it operates efficiently and effectively At the time of our inspection, the constabulary wasn’t making the most of the technology it had available, such as Power BI. We found several teams that relied too much on spreadsheets to manage officer and staff workloads and other areas of demand. These are manual and time-consuming processes. And they don’t allow strategic leads to understand demand and identify risks at the earliest opportunity. This would help them make sure the constabulary has the resources to effectively manage demand. One example we found was in the safeguarding hub. This team receives referrals from police officers for onward submission to agencies to protect vulnerable adults, children and young people. The team relies on spreadsheets to manage demand and in some cases the manual processes meant referrals have been closed without appropriate information sharing. We raised our concerns with the constabulary, which immediately took steps to rectify this situation. However, the constabulary couldn’t identify how long this has been a problem. And it didn’t know how many vulnerable people this affects. The constabulary needs to improve how it uses data and analysis. This will help it to identify potential issues before they occur, so that it doesn’t have to respond to unforeseen issues. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to listen better to its workforce, and clearly communicate the reasons for its strategic decisions Senior leaders in the constabulary are committed and working hard to provide a service to the public and keep communities safe in Hertfordshire. And they value the role officers and staff have in making this happen. Chief officers are aware of the challenges in making sure that communications reach all levels of the organisation. And they know that they should effectively explain strategic decisions and changes to processes, so the workforce understands them. Leaders encourage feedback and there are processes to achieve this. But there is a general perception among the workforce that chief officers aren’t always listening or are dismissing concerns raised about well-being and performance. We were told that the constabulary is focused on myth-busting, an approach which could be seen as dismissive. As part of our PEEL inspection, we survey personnel across the whole workforce. This survey is anonymised and provides an insight into the thoughts and feelings of police officers and staff. We received 530 responses to the Hertfordshire Constabulary workforce survey 2024, which we estimate to be around 12 percent of the constabulary’s total workforce. When asked whether respondents have the opportunity to contribute their views before decisions are made that affect them, 44.5 percent (236 of 530 respondents) agreed they did. In addition to this: • 39.6 percent (210 of 530 respondents) agreed they feel confident in the systems for providing feedback to all levels. • 39.8 percent (211 of 530 respondents) agreed they feel confident their ideas or suggestions will be listened to. • 46.4 percent (246 of 530 respondents) agreed they feel able to challenge ideas without any detriment as to how they will be treated afterwards. A return rate of only 12 percent may also be an indication that the workforce doesn’t have confidence their views will be listened to. The constabulary needs to improve its ability to communicate with and listen to the workforce, while providing clear messaging about the reasons for its strategic decisions. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to make sure its operating model helps its workforce respond to priorities and current and future demand The constabulary needs to make sure it is effective at achieving its priorities. It also needs to show it has the right resources, processes and plans to meet current and future demand. The constabulary also needs to make sure it understands the interdependencies of its processes and procedures when making changes. The constabulary is making changes to meet its demand and improve performance. But doesn’t always understand the effect these could have on other areas of the organisation or any unintended negative consequences. Since our last inspection, the constabulary has reviewed how it is structured to provide a service to victims and communities in Hertfordshire. The constabulary consulted staff during workshops and involved the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The senior leadership team had several options, each having advantages and disadvantages. It chose to keep a ten-district geographical model, with an increase in supervisors. Though not fully implemented, some elements of the operating model aren’t providing an efficient and effective service. We found several issues during our inspection that we raised with the constabulary. For example, we found the constabulary made little use of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. And while the constabulary responded quickly, its plans didn’t meet the increase in demand. This has resulted in a backlog of applications that isn’t within the required legislative processes and timescales. And the constabulary has had to rely on overtime and invest in more resources to deal with this important safeguarding process. Following the decision to progress with a ten-district geographical model and dedicated commands, at the time of our inspection, the constabulary was doing more detailed work in relation to the safeguarding specialisms. This has delayed its ability to understand what changes it could make to safeguard its communities. We will be interested to learn of its conclusions and recommendations. The constabulary needs to assure itself that its current operating model provides the right number of people, with the right skills and processes to provide a safe and effective service to the communities of Hertfordshire. Innovative practice Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to improve how it records equality data We saw in the constabulary’s data for victims of crime that it records age and gender well. But it records ethnicity less well, and it almost never records other protected characteristics. It should collect this information to understand the extent to which crime affects each protected group and how this differs from those without protected characteristics. This would inform the constabulary as to whether it needs a different approach for these victims. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to accurately record use of force incidents and make sure it can justify the use of these powers In the year ending 31 March 2023, Hertfordshire Constabulary recorded 12,048 use of force incidents. This was a one percent increase compared with the previous year. However, we found there were still 3,221 fewer incidents of force recorded than we estimate the constabulary should have recorded based on the number of arrests during this period. This may mean the constabulary is still not recording all its use of force incidents. The constabulary doesn’t monitor arrests to make sure that officers submit a use of force form when needed. Such monitoring would create an opportunity to remind officers to submit the form and record their justification for using force. We reviewed a sample of body-worn video footage of stop and search encounters. We found that although officers had reasonable grounds in most cases, some were using handcuffs without justification. One role of the constabulary’s external scrutiny panel is to consider findings from complaints made by members of the public. We observed several panels and witnessed discussion of two cases where there wasn’t enough justification for using handcuffs. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary should improve the quality and consistency of its problem-solving plans The constabulary has several ways to record and store problem-solving activity. It has a local database for neighbourhood problem-solving activity, and a database to store and share force-wide learning. We spoke to neighbourhood officers and staff and reviewed a selection of problem-solving plans. While these follow the objective, scanning, analysis, response and assessment problem-solving model, there was a general lack of detail. At times, we found a lack of meaningful scanning, analysis and assessment. We also found the constabulary wasn’t consistent in its supervision of problem-solving plans. While the constabulary is applying problem-solving principles, it would benefit from a more consistent approach. Making sure that officers and staff record effective scanning, analysis and assessment will better inform evaluation and future learning. Without this, the constabulary lessens its ability to consistently prevent and deter crime and antisocial behaviour, and to reduce vulnerability. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to make sure that call takers give appropriate advice on the preservation of evidence and crime prevention In our 2022 PEEL inspection we said the constabulary needs to make sure that call takers give appropriate advice on crime prevention and the preservation of evidence. As part of our victim service assessment, we found that the call handler gave appropriate advice on crime prevention in 30 out of 38 cases. This is an improvement from when we last inspected. However, we found that the call handler gave appropriate advice on preservation of evidence in only 17 of 28 relevant cases. The constabulary should assure itself that call takers are giving this advice in relevant cases. This means the constabulary is missing opportunities to preserve evidence which could improve investigations and outcomes for victims. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary needs to improve its response to calls for service, update the caller about delays and effectively supervise deployment decisions As part of our victim service assessment, we found in 41 of the 55 cases we examined the response to the incident was within the published attendance time. We also found that the constabulary updated the caller about a delay in 9 of 13 relevant cases. Delayed response can result in missed opportunities to safeguard victims or collect evidence. And failing to update victims can mean losing both public confidence and investigative opportunities. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary should make sure it takes all investigative opportunities by creating plans and improving supervision In our 2022 PEEL inspection, we found in the sample of crimes we reviewed that investigations weren’t always effective and appropriately supervised, and relevant lines of enquiry weren’t always completed. During our most recent victim service assessment we found little improvement. There was evidence of an appropriate investigation plan, in line with the College of Policing’s authorised professional practice guidance, in 55 out of 74 cases. Where it was appropriate for supervisors to give advice and direction to the investigation, this took place in 61 out of the 90 cases we reviewed. There was evidence that all appropriate and proportionate investigative opportunities were taken at the onset and throughout the investigation in 70 out of 98 cases. Only 71 out of 100 investigations we reviewed were judged effective. During our inspection we reviewed several investigations and found that investigation plans were brief and didn’t contain much detail. ome supervisors we spoke to told us they didn’t always have the time to complete crime reviews. The constabulary should make sure that investigators create plans when appropriate. Investigation plans, outlined in the College of Policing’s authorised professional practice, support investigators to make sure they make the most of opportunities to gather evidence. While the constabulary provided training to all its officers and staff in the summer of 2023, it recognises there is still more work to do to further improve performance. It has developed an audit process and a Power BI dashboard to provide performance data around investigation standards and supervisor reviews. And it has increased its governance in this area. We will continue to closely monitor the effects of the constabulary’s renewed focus on the necessary improvements. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary doesn’t consistently achieve acceptable outcomes for victims The constabulary isn’t always achieving acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. It has low numbers of crimes that are solved following investigations. The constabulary needs to understand the issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. In the year ending 31 December 2023, Hertfordshire Constabulary recorded 67,123 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 7.3 percent were assigned an offences brought to justice outcome. This was within the normal range compared to other forces in England and Wales. revised since. British Transport Police and the City of London data are excluded from the England and Wales rate. Total police-recorded crime includes all crime (except fraud). For a full commentary and explanation of crime and outcome types please see the Home Office statistics. 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. 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. In the year ending 31 December 2023, the proportion of victim-based crimes assigned outcome 18: investigation complete (no suspect identified) was 46.6 percent. This is higher than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. We found that the constabulary wasn’t aware of its position. It is important that the constabulary has a proper understanding of which cases fail and why. Without this understanding, the constabulary will find it harder to identify themes and target improvement activity, as well as to achieve appropriate outcomes for victims. The constabulary is within the normal range for the England and Wales rate in almost all other outcome categories for victim-based crimes. The exceptions are outcome 15: evidential difficulties (suspect identified; victim supports police action) and outcome 20: action undertaken by another body/agency. The constabulary assigned outcome 15 (evidential difficulties: suspect identified, victim supports police action) to 9.3 percent of victim-based crimes in the year ending 31 December 2023, which is lower than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. The constabulary assigned outcome 20 (action undertaken by another body/agency) to 0.3 percent of victim-based crimes in the year ending 31 December 2023, which is lower than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. In our victim service assessment, the correct outcome was used in 65 out of 80 relevant cases. And the crime finalisation had effective and appropriate supervision in 64 out of 82 relevant cases. The constabulary should work to better understand its use of outcome codes and whether there are opportunities to give victims better justice. Hertfordshire Constabulary

AFI The constabulary should make sure it carries out a victim needs assessment where appropriate Under the revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, all victims of a criminal offence are entitled to a needs assessment. This assessment identifies at an early stage special measures to support them throughout the investigation and subsequent court case. Hertfordshire Constabulary