Dorset, West Mercia and Bedfordshire police told to improve

A watchdog has ordered three police forces to improve how they investigate crime and respond to the public.

Dorset, West Mercia and Bedfordshire forces were scrutinised by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

HMICFRS said West Mercia's serious investigations were "inadequately supervised", while Dorset needed to "better meet the needs of victims".

Bedfordshire Police needed to improve its contact with the public, it added.

The watchdog focused its reports on the forces' effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy.

It said West Mercia's serious investigations were "not sufficiently effective", meaning a poor service for some victims of crime.

Several departments within the force reported understaffing, something which can affect workplace wellbeing and also result in a poor service for victims, inspectors said.

Unreliable IT systems were found to lead to inefficient working practices, and to affect the quality and accuracy of the force's data and management reports, the watchdog added.

Inspectors said: "This means that the force has a poor understanding of its demand in some notable areas, such as its response times."

Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said while she was "satisfied with some aspects of the performance of West Mercia Police" there are areas which need to improve.

The force said steps towards improving those areas were "already well underway".

Chief constable Pippa Mills said: "We agree with HMICFRS's assessment that we still need to do more to improve supervision of investigations and the quality and consistency of updating victims.

"Improvement work has already begun and is progressing at pace. This includes a focus on the standard of investigations and providing a better service to victims through improved and meaningful contact."

Ms Williams said Dorset Police had endured a "challenging year" but the force still needed to "better meet the needs of victims when responding to and investigating crimes".

She urged a "continued focus" on the reasons for disparities when searching people and using force, as she recognised work by the police service to engage with diverse groups and gain a "better understanding of the reasons why disparities endure - for black people in particular".

She commended Dorset Police for improved efforts on investigating online sexual offending but added that "reassurance is needed that sufficient long-term provision is in place so that investigations are timely, and children remain safe".

The force said it had already "recognised the need to strengthen in areas" prior to the report.

In a statement, it said: "Since the start of 2021 Dorset Police has seen the introduction and development of two local policing area commands and investment in county lines teams, neighbourhood enforcement teams and a dedicated missing person team".

Chief constable Scott Chilton added: "We are also making significant investment in our public contact systems, with a commitment to reduce call times and respond to incidents quicker."

Bedfordshire Police needed to improve its supervision of investigations, and provide a consistently effective contact service with the public, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said.

But he commended the force on being the first to achieve an outstanding grade for the way it manages offenders and suspects, saying it had "demonstrably reduced reoffending for serious offences like burglary and those involving domestic abuse".

The force was also said to be "performing well" when it came to stop and search, with an external scrutiny panel of local residents in place to provide scrutiny and ensure officers "act with integrity and maintain public confidence".

Chief constable Garry Forsyth said: "While the positives are great, perhaps more important is to identify areas for improvement, particularly when it involves victim care.

"We have already made strides forward in some of the areas which were highlighted, and our PCC is also committed to helping us invest and focus on where we need to improve our service to the public."

The force added a full-scale review of its contact centre had already taken place focusing on investing in staff and making best use of technology.

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