His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services News

As stated in the 2021- 2025 strategy, HMICFRS is committed to capitalizing on the independent insight and learning and sharing this with the sectors they inspect. As part of this, they are pleased to announce the launch of the practice bank – an innovative online platform developed by the College of Policing with support from HMICFRS. Development of the practice bank This has been designed as a public-facing shared space and provides information on tactics, knowledge and advice acr...

Cleveland Police has improved in some areas but further changes are needed to keep people safer and reduce crime, the police inspectorate has said. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Cleveland Police’s performance across ten areas of policing and found the force was ‘good’ in one area, ‘adequate’ in four areas, ‘requires improvement’ in three areas and ‘inadequate’ in two areas....

North Yorkshire must make improvements to help keep people safe and reduce crime, the police inspectorate has said. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded North Yorkshire Police’s performance across eight areas of policing and found the force was ‘inadequate’ in one area, ‘requires improvement’ in four areas, ‘adequate’ in two areas and ‘good’ in one area. Performance of North Yorksh...

HMICFRS has published the latest Value for Money profiles, which provide comparative data on a wide range of policing activities for each police force in England and Wales. Value for Money profiles help forces make better decisions by identifying areas where improvements can be made in cost and performance. The VfM profiles include data provided by police services from 2012/13 to 2021/22. Data is presented as a series of interactive charts and graphs, allowing users to explore and tailor report...

Staffordshire Police has improved in some areas but still has more to do, the police inspectorate has said. Staffordshire Police: PEEL Cause of concern revisit letter. Last year, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary moved Staffordshire Police into an enhanced monitoring process, known as Engage, because of concerns about the force’s performance. Crime prevention advice HMICFRS revisited the force last month to review its progress, specifically in improving the service Hi...

Greater Manchester Police is not providing custody services well enough, and some important areas of custody now require urgent attention, a report has found. Report on an inspection visit to police custody suites in Greater Manchester His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that Greater Manchester Police has a clear governance structure to provide strategic oversight of custody services. Six mai...

Devon and Cornwall Police must make urgent improvements after it was found to be inadequate in several areas, the police inspectorate has said. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Devon and Cornwall Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was ‘inadequate’ in three areas, ‘requires improvement’ in two areas, ‘adequate’ in two areas and ‘good’ in two ar...

South Yorkshire Police has been congratulated for its performance in keeping people safe and reducing crime, the police inspectorate has said. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded South Yorkshire Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was ‘outstanding’ in three areas, ‘good’ in five areas, and ‘adequate’ in one area. HMICFRS said the outstanding areas included p...

Following the publication of the annual State of Fire report, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has responded to its findings. Published by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), it looks at the fire and rescue service’s effectiveness, efficiency and how they focus on their staff. In the report, HMICFRS’ Chief Inspector - Andy Cooke said: “I am continually struck by the dedication of firefighters and other staff, and I...

South Yorkshire’s fire service says it has already taken significant steps to improve its service, following the publication of a national inspection report. The report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) identified several areas for improvement- as well as many areas of good practice. areas of good practice Inspectors said the service is ‘good’ at looking after its people, but needs to improve under the ‘effect...

The staff at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) has been praised, after inspectors rated the service as one of the top performing in the country. Tyne and Wear’s most senior fire officer has praised firefighters and fire staff after the Service was rated as ‘Good’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). It is the second inspection in a row that the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has been graded ‘Good&...

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has improved markedly since its previous inspection, but there are still areas that need attention, according to a new report. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) judged that the service: ‘Requires improvement’ at effectively keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; Is ‘good’ at efficiently keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; and ‘Re...

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has improved markedly since its previous inspection, but there are still areas that need attention, according to a new report. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) judged that the service: ‘Requires improvement’ at effectively keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; Is ‘good’ at efficiently keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; and ‘Re...

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service needs to continue working to improve, although it is performing well in some areas, a new report has found. HMICFRS Service Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) judged that the service: ‘requires improvement’ at effectively keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; ‘requires improvement’ at efficiently keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks; an...

Wiltshire Police is failing in several areas and urgent improvements must be made, the police inspectorate has said. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Wiltshire Police’s performance across eight areas of policing and found the force was ‘inadequate’ in three areas and ‘requires improvement’ in the other five areas. Inspectorate’s Engage monitoring process HMICFRS said the inadequate areas includ...

Ofsted published a report with findings from a joint inspection of multi-agency response to the identification of initial need and risk in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The inspection was undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Ofsted, and the Care Quality Commission. Rolling program of reports The inspection forms part of a rolling program of reports into various areas where different agencies work together to provide supp...

The College of Policing, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFRS) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated a super-complaint submitted by the Center for Women’s Justice (CWJ). The investigation found some forces are not doing enough to take account of the specific needs of domestic abuse victims when the suspect works for the police nor are they consistently going the extra mile to show that they understand the impor...

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found that Hertfordshire Constabulary cares for detainees well, and there is some good work to divert children and vulnerable adults away from custody. Two main causes of concern However, HMICFRS and HMIP said more needs to be done to manage risk. The inspectorates have two main causes of concern: Lack of oversight over use of force, including con...

In May 2021, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) warned that Dyfed-Powys Police was only recording an estimated 87.6 percent of all reported crime – meaning an estimated 4,400 crimes were not recorded each year. Three urgent recommendations As a result, HMICFRS issued Dyfed-Powys Police with a cause of concern and made three urgent recommendations, including that the force should: Improve its systems and processes for recording rep...

City of London Police has improved the way it protects vulnerable children, but further changes are needed to help keep them safe, a new report has found. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that since its last inspection of the City of London Police’s child protection services in 2019, the force had worked to address some of the concerns raised. Several areas still require improvement The inspectorate said improvements include...

British Transport Police is recording an outstanding 97.9 percent of crimes committed across the network, the police inspectorates have said. An inspection of the service provided to victims of crime by the British Transport Police This compares to a national accuracy of around 90 per cent of crime recorded for all police forces in England and Wales. Accurate crime recording helps forces prioritize investigations by using suitably skilled staff to give victims the service they deserve. It also...

Thames Valley Police has improved its performance over a demanding 18 months, but there are still areas of concern, the police inspectorate has said. PEEL 2021/22: Inspection of Thames Valley Police Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services graded Thames Valley Police’s performance across nine areas of policing and found the force was ‘good’ in three areas, ‘adequate’ in four areas and ‘requires improvement’ in two...

Following the launch of an Implementation Tool for both the Prevention and Protection Fire Standard, the Fire Standards Board are delighted to publish six further tools covering each of the previously published Fire Standards.   The NFCC Implementation Team has been pivotal in developing these tools in response to feedback from services following the launch of the first eight Fire Standards this year.   Providing useful evidence P...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has received today’s State of Fire report which focuses on the inspection of 12 services, published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. According to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Thomas Winsor: "The fire and rescue service (England) continues to be an enormous asset to our communities and the sector's response to the pandemic has been exemplary.” Complimented protection a...

The Fire Standards Board for England has published the Prevention Fire Standard setting out what fire and rescue services should be doing to keep communities safe from fire. This is the seventh Fire Standard to be published and sits alongside the operational response Fire Standards released earlier this year. The Protection Fire Standard will be published in September 2021. New Prevention Fire Standard published Fire and rescue services will look to use the Prevention Fire Standard to ensure...

The Fire Standards Board for England is seeking views by 9 April on a new overarching standard for Fire Protection. Having recently published the first fire standards focused on operations, the Board is now consulting on two draft standards for protection and prevention. The Fire Standards Board commissioned the development of the Fire Protection Fire Standard through the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Protection Policy and Reform Unit (PPRU). A working group, with representation from ser...

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority has successfully concluded its search for the next leader of Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Wayne Bowcock will be joining the Service following the retirement of its current Chief Fire Officer, Trevor Ferguson, in July 2021. Wayne will join the Service in June to ensure a smooth transition, before Trevor’s departure. Wayne joins the Service from his current role as Chief Fire Officer and Director at Gloucestershire County Council. Wayne was selecte...

An inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) confirmed that Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS) has adapted and responded to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic effectively, thereby highlighting the additional support that the fire service has been offering its communities, throughout this public health crisis. RBFRS response to COVID-19 In August 2020, the UK Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to examine how fire and rescue...

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been recognized nationally for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, SFRS was praised for its positive contributions to the local community and commitment to the welfare of its staff. In August 2020, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned by the UK Home Secretary to examine how fire and rescue services are responding to the pandemic. Effective command and control frameworks...

A national inspection has praised the response of South Yorkshire’s fire service to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue adapted to the pandemic effectively, carried on delivering its core services and provided additional support to the community during the first phase of the pandemic. Inspectors also found that staff well-being was made a clear priority for the service and praised senior pioneers for actively promoting well-being services, in a report published b...