Thames Valley Police praised for treating the public with fairness and respect

Thames Valley Police praised for treating the public with fairness and respect

Thames Valley Police treats the public with fairness and respect, and is good at managing offenders and suspects, a report issued today (28/4) by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found.

HMICFRS has graded the force across nine areas with a grade of ‘Good’ being awarded for engaging with and treating the public with fairness and respect, and managing offenders and suspects.

The report also highlights a number of other notable strengths within Thames Valley Police:

• An improvement to the time it takes to answer emergency and non-emergency calls;
• An innovative approach to reducing re-offending and changing behaviour with the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU);
• Positive work to recruit and retain more officers from an ethnically diverse backgrounds;
• An ethical and inclusive culture, where our people are proud to work, and have a shared sense of belonging throughout the organisation;
• The force’s positive approach to working with partner agencies.

An additional grading has been included this year of ‘Adequate’ which means that the expected standards are being met. The force has received this grading in relation to preventing and investigating crime, protecting vulnerable people and developing a positive workplace.

No areas within the inspection report were graded as ‘Inadequate’, however there have been areas for improvement identified by the HMICFRS with regards to responding to the public, organisational management and value for money.

Although this didn’t form part of HMICFRS inspection last year, there was a 40% reduction in Residential Burglary (Dwelling) when compared to the five-year average, a 22% reduction in personal robbery and a 9% reduction in serious violence, as well as a 4% increase in the overall volume of cases where formal action was taken meaning better justice for victims of crime.

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Hogg of Thames Valley Police said:

“We thank HMICFRS for its feedback, which it’s important to consider in context with two key factors; a change to the grading system and the unprecedented policing landscape in which we have been operating throughout the pandemic.

“At the time of this inspection, Thames Valley Police had been operating during the pandemic for over a year, going on to respond to nearly 65,000 Covid-related incidents in an 18-month period.

“Despite all of these challenges, no areas of Thames Valley Police were considered ‘Inadequate,’ and I am immensely proud of our officers and staff for their tireless work in protecting the public, which has kept our communities safe during these extraordinary times.

“However, to continue to deliver an effective and efficient policing service, we must strive to continually improve in all areas across the force. The findings of this PEEL report enable us to do this, together with learnings taken from national issues that rightly challenge us to reflect on how we best service our communities within the Thames Valley.”

Note to editors:

Grading for each area:

Recording data about crime – Good

Treatment of the public – Good

Managing offenders – Good

Preventing crime – Adequate

Investigating crime – Adequate

Protecting vulnerable people – Adequate

Developing a positive workplace – Adequate

Responding to the public – Requires improvement

Good use of resources – Requires improvement

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