Source · HMICFRS

PEEL Assessment 2023-25: Northamptonshire Police

16 February 2024 PEEL Force Inspection 13 areas for improvement

PEEL 2023-25 inspection findings for Northamptonshire Police

Applicable forces

Areas for improvement

AFI The force needs to consistently record and evaluate day-to-day problem-solving and share learning The force has invested in problem-solving training for all its neighbourhood officers and police community support officers. It has promoted use of the objective, scanning, analysis, response and assessment (OSARA) problem-solving model. The force intranet contains guidance and material to support police personnel in deciding if a problem-solving plan is required and how to record it. We spoke to neighbourhood police officers and staff and reviewed a selection of problem-solving plans. We found that problem-solving and its recording still wasn’t consistent. While we found some good examples, there was little evidence of evaluation taking place. Also, not all those involved in problem-solving were clear on how and when to apply the OSARA model. We were told that the additional work required for an OSARA was putting some people off recording a problem-solving plan. The force stores completed problem-solving plans in a central location in order to share learning. But it hasn’t updated this since 2020. The force therefore struggles to consistently identify and record best practice. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force needs to improve its understanding of why new recruits leave the force The force has a high proportion of student police officers leave the force. The force told us that between January 2023 and September 2023 130 student officers joined and 31 left. This represents 23.8 percent. In reality testing, students told us they don’t always feel supported. The force has put in place several initiatives to try to address this, including Operation Positive and Operation Reset. But these initiatives aren’t consistently applied due to pressures on response teams to meet calls for service. We were also told that tutors aren’t always volunteering for the role and receive insufficient training. They are also tutoring students in quick succession, which is adding to their workloads and negatively affecting their well-being. The force has recognised this and is putting measures in place to encourage more tutors to take on this additional responsibility. The force has some understanding of why new recruits leave. But it needs to increase this understanding so it can introduce effective actions to improve retention. It doesn’t use the information to identify opportunities to encourage people to stay, or to identify patterns and trends in why new recruits leave. The force has recently developed a ‘stay process’, but this hadn’t yet been implemented at the time of our inspection. Once a person has indicated their intention to leave, they will be invited to a meeting to identify the reasons why and discuss any bespoke measures that could be put in place to encourage them to stay. Any themes identified will be discussed at the force’s people and culture board to identify any issues that may be related to protected characteristics. However, the onus is on the individual to identify that they are considering leaving. By better understanding which factors influence retention, the force will be in a stronger position to attract and retain talented people across the organisation. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force needs to do more to support the development and career progression of people from under-represented groups The force promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and helps supervisors to foster an ethical, inclusive working environment. But it hasn’t sought to understand the barriers that prevent police personnel from under-represented groups from progressing in the force, in particular those from ethnic minority groups. Some officers and staff we spoke to hold a view that the force doesn’t always understand differing cultures. We were told about an issue with understanding radio transmissions where English wasn’t the first spoken language, and about promotion processes being held over religious festival periods. While the force responded appropriately to both issues when raised, there doesn’t appear to be a framework in place to proactively identify issues affecting officers and staff from under-represented groups. We spoke with several police staff associations and networks who were positive about their interactions with and support from chief officers. But some police staff we spoke to thought that, while there is work being done to improve communication, inclusion and representation across the workforce, this is initiated and led by staff associations. There are some initiatives in place to support officers and staff from under-represented groups during promotion processes. But not all members of the workforce know about them and they are generally limited to neurodiversity and gender. At the time of our inspection, the force hadn’t yet introduced the national peer coaching and mentoring platform which provides mentors for under-represented groups. Innovative practice The career academy is an initiative from the force’s positive action team that is intended to support officers from under-represented groups with promotion. However, we were told that due to pressure from the Police Uplift Programme this had been placed on hold. The force’s focus has been on meeting the requirements of the uplift programme which it has more than achieved. However, due to this concerted activity the force hasn’t focused on progression and development. We are aware that a positive action strategy has been written and is awaiting chief officer sign off before implementation. Prompt implementation of a linked action plan would help make sure any benefits to the workforce and the organisation can be obtained quickly. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force has a dedicated well-being and performance sergeant The force’s initial investigation team has a large proportion of police personnel who are restricted. As a result, some may not be able to carry out frontline duties. To address this the team has a dedicated well-being and performance sergeant. This new role was brought in to provide support to the team and manage the ongoing care and performance of affected police personnel. The well-being and performance sergeant is an experienced individual who is also offered enhanced well-being support. This recognises the demands that are placed on them in supporting others. The aim of the well-being and performance sergeant is to get people back to frontline duties where possible. Where this isn’t an option, they can help with a move to another department that can cater for the person’s needs. We found that the team is performing well, in line with force expectations. The sergeant has a good relationship with the force’s occupational health unit to provide bespoke support. We were told this sergeant is now considered a tactical adviser, providing guidance to other supervisors about how to access occupational health support successfully. This is making effective use of officers and staff who aren’t fully operational to support the force in managing its demand. And it is providing dedicated support to officers who have restrictions in place, making sure they still feel valued as a member of the force. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force needs to establish processes to regularly review its strategic decisions, policies and processes to check they are effective and provide the intended outcome Some strategic decisions, policies and processes aren’t being checked to make sure they are effective. The force is too reliant on verbal updates and reassurance from managers around performance, capacity, capability and management of demand. In February 2023 in a local policing performance meeting, the force identified it used community resolution for domestic abuse crimes comparatively more than the rest of England and Wales (see Figure ). But it didn’t scrutinise the information to understand whether this was appropriate, or the right outcome for victims. In September 2023, we informed the force that some use of this outcome was against national guidance, after which the force reviewed and amended its policy. In February 2023, the force reviewed its crime allocation policy and will review this again in February 2024. We found evidence of high-risk crimes being given to police officers who didn’t have the capacity and capability to investigate them. This indicates that the force doesn’t understand the demand on its personnel and the effect this has on the service it provides to the public. This could lead to unmanageable workloads and well-being issues. As well as not safeguarding vulnerable victims. In July 2023, the force made the strategic decision to change the response shift pattern to better align its resources to meet demand. However, it has limited understanding of its reliance on overtime to meet demand. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency calls The force needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency calls for service. When a victim contacts the police, it is important that their call is answered quickly. In the year ending 30 June 2023, Northamptonshire Police answered 78.5 percent of its 999 calls within 10 seconds. This was below the national standard of answering 90 percent within 10 seconds. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force should make sure it allocates investigations to officers and teams that have the capability and capacity to carry out timely and thorough investigations Police forces train officers and staff to investigate through a process known as professionalising investigations programme (PIP). All police officers, and police staff who investigate volume crime are trained to level 1. Volume crime is any crime which, through its sheer volume, significantly affects the community and the ability of the local police to tackle it. Volume crime often includes priority crimes such as street robbery, burglary and vehicle-related criminality, but can also apply to criminal damage or assaults. Officers and staff investigating serious and complex crime are expected to be trained to level 2 or should be working towards it. In February 2023, the force reviewed its crime allocation policy. It now focuses primarily on the required PIP level for the investigation and allocates crimes to officers and teams with those qualifications. During our visit to the force in September 2023, we found that some crimes involving vulnerable victims had been inappropriately allocated to response and neighbourhood policing officers. These included complex cases, such as cases involving high-risk domestic abuse and cases relating to the possession of indecent images of children. Officers in response and neighbourhood teams are investigating these cases on top of their usual role of responding to calls for service, or neighbourhood policing. The force should make sure it allocates crimes to the person or team with the capacity and capability to progress the investigation in a timely way, bring offenders to justice and make sure that vulnerable victims are safeguarded. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force isn’t always achieving outcomes for victims of crime The force isn’t always achieving acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. It solves low numbers of crime following investigations. It needs to understand this issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force needs to make sure it is using outcomes appropriately and that these outcomes comply with force and national policies We found that the force carries out audits and scrutinises some outcome codes it uses to finalise crime investigations. But more needs to be done to make sure leaders can be confident they understand the decision-making process for some outcomes. Leaders also need to better understand whether the outcomes are appropriate and what improvements might be needed to give victims better justice. In the year ending 31 March 2022, 3.9 percent of all domestic abuse related offences identified by Northamptonshire Police were assigned a community resolution (outcome 8). This was a higher-than-expected outcome 8 rate for domestic abuse related offences when compared to other forces in England and Wales. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force should put reliable processes in place to monitor protective orders and make sure that breaches are prioritised to safeguard the victim Data shows that the force considers Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) and seeks Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) at court for cases of domestic abuse. In our audit we found that investigators gave appropriate consideration to ancillary orders, such as DVPNs, DVPOs and Stalking Protection Orders, in 9 of 13 relevant cases. In the year ending 31 March 2023, Northamptonshire Police applied for 189 DVPOs at court. During that period, the force made DVPO applications for 1.7 percent of the domestic abuse related crimes it recorded. During reality testing, police officers and staff told us that responsibility for monitoring a perpetrator’s compliance with a protection order rests with the original officer, usually a response officer. Response officers told us that there is often little opportunity to monitor these orders due to dealing with other calls for service. Our reality testing indicated that the force relies too much on victims reporting breaches. It doesn’t give clear direction to officers to carry out proactive checks for enforcement opportunities. Failure to effectively monitor orders could lead to missed opportunities to protect vulnerable victims. This could lead to a decline in confidence in the police to safeguard victims. The force also told us that there is no central co-ordination for monitoring orders. This leads to inconsistencies in the level of service offered to victims. This lack of co-ordination and oversight may reduce the effectiveness of orders and may fail to prevent re-offending. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force should make sure Violent and Sex Offender Register supervisory reviews are of a high quality and that officers raise and complete actions. These reviews should include comprehensive intelligence checks to effectively manage the risk posed by registered sex offenders The force has a performance monitoring system in place that tracks overdue Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) supervisory reviews. It has recently focused on reducing existing backlogs but accepts that it also needs to improve the quality of supervisor reviews. We found that offender managers were submitting generally good quality risk assessments for registered sex offenders. But we found evidence of inconsistency in the quality of supervisor reviews. Some merely approved the content of the assessment; some reviews weren’t done at all. This means supervisors are missing opportunities to allocate further work or enquiries. For example, reviewing all available intelligence linked to a registered sex offender helps complete a better risk assessment. We sampled ten records and found that offender managers had only completed Police National Database checks in three instances. In most of the records we reviewed, the intelligence checks shown were only carried out on Northamptonshire Police systems and didn’t include the range of national intelligence sources available. An effective supervisory review would have identified these additional lines of enquiry. The force should make sure supervisors complete high-quality ViSOR reviews. Innovative practice Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force should make sure it has the capacity and capability to manage the demand in the online child abuse investigation unit to avoid delays in enforcement action being taken. Supervisors should review caseloads and make sure offender managers regularly review available intelligence Northamptonshire Police uses the Kent risk assessment tool for those suspected of accessing indecent images of children. This tool prioritises enforcement action depending on the level of risk posed. The risk assessment determines the timescales for police action against a suspect, such as by making an arrest or executing a search warrant. We found that while the force appropriately completed risk assessments, there were some delays in action being taken. The force wasn’t checking if any circumstances had changed in the meantime, which might alter the risk level and timescales. We also found that after enforcement action had been taken there could be long delays between supervisory reviews. This means supervisors were missing opportunities to raise further actions, including additional intelligence checks and risk reassessments. The force should make sure that the online child abuse investigation unit has enough resources to effectively deal with its demand. If there are delays in taking action against a suspect, the force should find out if there has been any change in risk level since the initial assessment and throughout the investigation process. Northamptonshire Police

AFI The force uses preventative orders for those suspected of accessing indecent images of children, in lieu of lengthy police bail Northamptonshire Police’s online child abuse investigation unit investigates reports of suspected online abuse of children. These investigations often take time while digital devices are forensically examined. Suspects can be on police bail for long periods of time, during which the force has limited ability to manage their potential offending behaviour. Northamptonshire Police