Essex Police retains its ‘good’ rating from HMICFRS

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Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has published its latest report, in which Essex Police has retained its ‘good’ grading in the three main areas inspected for Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy.

You can read more here: https://www.essex.pfcc.police.uk/news/essex-police-retains-its-good-rating-from-hmicfrs/

The report includes good gradings in the following areas, which were part of the 2018 inspection.

- Investigating crime and reducing reoffending

- Protecting vulnerable people

- Meeting current demands and using resources

- Planning for the future

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “This is a positive report and provides a useful assessment of Essex Police’s current performance and how it is doing against other police forces nationally. “The inspectors have said Essex Police is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour; it is good at investigating crime and is continuing to improve on how it identifies and protects vulnerable people. This is a very positive independent assessment and is a credit to the hard work and dedication of all of the officers and staff at Essex Police. “In terms of outcomes for the public, while good progress is being made, we know that there is still significant work to do to reduce overall crime in particular to tackle violent crime and crack down on gangs.”

Responding to the report, Chief Constable BJ Harrington said:

“I am pleased the HMICFRS recognise the hard work and commitment of my officers and staff, in particular praising the work we are doing around protecting vulnerable people, preventing crime and our service to victims.

“HMICFRS inspected Essex Police in September last year and we have not waited for the report to put into place action to improve where they identified areas where we could do better. In particular a lot of work has already been done in areas such as how we investigate crime, however, we continuously review and improve how we work and have established further measures since the inspection was held.

“The demands on our force have been challenging; they are increasing and changing, but we will always strive to give the best possible service to our communities and I am pleased that the report recognises this.

“I want Essex to be a force that is skilled, equipped and enabled to police in the 21st century so we have invested in new technology to help officers do their job better and more efficiently. This includes body worn cameras to secure the best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice and the extended use of mobile technology to allow officers and staff to be more visible in communities.

“We have also recruited more police staff and officers and we have ensured these are going to support our ability to keep pace with increasing demands. However, importantly we are investing in areas that will help us to prevent crime and further contribute to keeping the vulnerable safe. This includes securing over £2.5 million from the Home Office and Essex County Council in partnership with the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner to help tackle serious violent crime and vulnerability."