HMIC report into Bedfordshire Police's approach to tackling domestic abuse

Executive Summary

There are serious failings in the way Bedfordshire Police responds to victims of domestic abuse. Urgent action is needed to improve the way in which the force acts to keep victims of domestic abuse safe.

HMIC's principal concern is the force's inability to provide a consistently effective response to safeguarding victims. The service the force provides to victims is highly fragmented and potentially dangerous, as victims who should be identified and protected by the force may not be.

The force is now aware of these gaps and has been working to improve the service to victims. During the re-inspection there had been some improvements but the level of concern for victim safety remained.

Since then, the force has produced a more comprehensive plan to deal with the issues, and if implemented the proposed changes should improve the service delivered by the force to victims of domestic abuse.

The force's organisational structures and internal systems for managing domestic abuse were under resourced and overwhelmed. Specialist resources were stretched too thinly to be effective. The arrangements in place were incoherent and confusing.

This is an organisational issue. Despite all of this, there are many highly committed police officers and staff in Bedfordshire Police, who, individually, are doing the best they possibly can to keep victims safe. The force was not supporting them effectively in their endeavours.

Capacity has been increased since the re-inspection with additional staff being placed in a newly formed vulnerability co-ordination unit (VCO) and managers overseeing the high-risk domestic abuse team (HRDAT) which has been formed from three smaller units.

Domestic abuse is a priority for the force, but this is not translated into an operational reality. There has been a lack of visible leadership and commitment to tackling domestic abuse.

This, coupled with a lack of effective governance and performance management arrangements, is limiting the ability of the police to deliver an effective service to victims. HMIC recognises the financial challenge that the force faces.

While this may be a contributing factor to the difficulties we describe, it is not the principal reason for the failings. Given the scale and the seriousness of the areas for improvement, urgent action is needed by the force to address the risks identified in this report.

The force has sought assistance from other forces and a detective superintendent and detective chief inspector with specialist knowledge are working with the force to build an improved capability and service. The accountability framework is also now clearer.

Read the full report here: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/bedfordshire-approach-to-tackling-domestic-abuse.pdf