Avon and Somerset Police told it must improve way it investigates and records crime

Avon and Somerset Police said it was investing in people and 'laying solid foundations' to improve performance 'across the board' Credit: PA

Avon and Somerset Police has been told it must improve the way it investigates and records crime.

A recent inspection also found failings in the way offenders are managed in the community and victims are safeguarded.

But the force was, however, praised for the way it deals with the public.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) conducted its review over a 12-month period between 2021 and 2022.

How was Avon and Somerset Police graded?

  • Requires improvement - in responding to the public, investigating crime, managing offenders and crime recording

  • Adequate - in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) and protecting vulnerable people

  • Good - in the use of resources, as well as supporting and protecting the workforce

  • Outstanding - in engaging and treating the public with fairness and respect

No areas were given an inadequate grading.

Recording and investigating crime

Inspectors found the force recorded 91.4% of all reported crime, meaning 13,100 alleged offences went unlogged- 8,300 of which were violent and 420 were sexual.

The report drew particular attention to the recording of rape crimes and incidents.

It said: "The constabulary doesn't always correctly record crimes of rape. We found that the constabulary had recorded 49 of 57 cases of rape we reviewed, which should have been recorded.

"Of the eight unrecorded crimes of rape, three were incorrectly recorded as N100s, three were misclassified as other sexual assaults ad two were not recorded at all.

"The force should improve its practices to make sure that rape crimes are recorded correctly."

Responding to the public

Inspectors did praise the force for keeping victims updated on the progress of investigations.

But highlighted a number of areas of improvement when responding to calls and following up on cases.

It warned that the force should respond to calls within its published time frames based on the prioritisation given to the call.

If there are delays then "the rationale should be recorded and victims should be updated."

HMICFRS praised the force for keeping victims updated on the progress of investigations

Inspectors also drew attention to the number of abandoned 101 calls - there is one queue for priority calls and a second queue for lower priority calls.

The standard for England and Wales is to have an abandonment rate of less than 5%.

But for Avon and Somerset Police's secondary queue, the abandonment rate ranged from 16.8% to 30.1%.

This could mean that "at times callers may not report their concerns and that vulnerable people aren't getting the service they need."

Also, the report found that call handlers sometimes failed to identify repeat victims and those who were vulnerable.

In 14 out of 65 cases reviewed, the caller's vulnerability was not judged using the structured risk assessment.

The inspectorate warned this could affect how a call is prioritised, and also result in delays to the caller receiving safeguarding advice.

Sarah Crew, Avon and Somerset Police's Chief Constable Credit: Avon and Somerset Police

Commenting on the report, Chief Constable Sarah Crew said she welcomes the findings and is committed to making the necessary improvements: "The report flags areas where we need to do better.

"Responding to the public more quickly, improving our investigations and better management of offenders, are areas of intense focus for us, and we have plans in place to address the shortfalls outlined.

"While we’ve improved on our previous assessment, there’s more work we need to do to ensure all crimes are recorded and classified properly

“In the last 12 months, we’ve taken more than 385,000 calls for service, with under a third of these relating to crime or ASB. The rest are issues which go beyond the policing sphere, including incidents involving people in mental health crises.

“We know there’s more to do to improve our investigations and management of offenders, and we’re channelling our increased resources, through the national Uplift programme, into these areas. We need to make sure we are razor sharp in our pursuit and focus on offenders while continuing to prioritise the needs of victims."

The Chief Constable added that treating the public with "fairness, dignity and respect" is at the heart of everything the force does, so is pleased to have been given an outstanding rating in this area.

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