Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has welcomed the news that Northamptonshire Police has improved in most areas, published in a report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services today (Friday 16 February).
Stephen Mold said that he is confident that the Force is set on the right path and moving in the right direction to make further improvements.
Since its last inspection, Northamptonshire Police has improved its performance in six of the nine areas of work measured by the Inspectorate. The inspectors also found areas of innovative good practice that are at the leading edge, particularly around the approach to retail crime.
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said that he was pleased that the Inspectors found that the Force is doing well in some fundamental areas – it communicates well with communities, uses powers such as stop search fairly and treats victims of crime properly.
The report also says the Force is outstanding in the way it records crime, which is important so that victims of crime receive the service they deserve and so the public can hold the police to account.
However, the Commissioner said that the Force clearly has immediate work to do to improve crime investigation. He said that he would support the Chief Constable to make the necessary improvements and monitor progress.
Stephen Mold said: “Northamptonshire Police has moved forwards in most areas, and that is good to hear. I know how much work has been done by every police officer and member of staff to provide an even better service, against a challenging background for policing. That effort has put the Force on the right path, and I am pleased.
“Victims of crime are supported to an extremely high standard – which is an absolute priority for me – and this is clearly a Force that treats people fairly and with respect. The work being done to tackle retail crime is leading the way nationally and the Force is top performing in the quality of evidential files passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
“But there is always more to be done. I want to see quick action to ensure that there are consistent and thorough crime investigations to bring offenders to justice and ensure the public receive the best service when they report a crime.”
Stephen Mold said that £590,000 will be invested in further training and development for police officers in the coming year, which will help improve the quality of crime investigations and meet the training needs of the Force, which has seen a major increase in the number of police officers since 2018.
A further £800,000 will go into the Force control room, to help meet the growing demand in emergency calls from the public – an area that the Inspectors also said needed to improve.
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “This report gives me an objective, external view of Force performance and is important in helping me hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of an efficient and effective police service. It shows how far Northamptonshire Police has come over the last few years.
“I am confident that the Force will push on, not just with the improvements outlined by the HMI, but also with other plans to strengthen neighbourhood policing even further, and to focus on the issues of neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour that concern people in communities across the county.”
