Police force told to improve protecting vulnerable

Lancashire Police was judged "outstanding" for preventing crime but needs to do more to protect vulnerable people, inspectors say

A police force has been told to improve its protection of vulnerable people after inspectors found delays in helping those who wanted to know if their partners had a history of domestic violence.

However, Lancashire Police was rated outstanding in preventing crime and was praised for some "innovative practice".

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary congratulated the force on reducing crime and but said improvements in some areas were required to provide a "consistently good service".

Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett, said the force had already made "positive changes" and was "seeing the benefits of these".

The review said the force needed to focus on "keeping some vulnerable people safe from further harm".

HM inspector Michelle Skeer said: "We found delays in some services, including the domestic violence disclosure scheme and referrals to multi-agency partnership arrangements."

The domestic violence disclosure scheme, also known as Clare's Law, gives people the right to ask police if their partner has an abusive past.

Ms Skeer added: "I am confident Lancashire Constabulary will take swift action to address these delays, and I will continue to monitor the way it responds and takes steps to improve these areas."

She praised the progress made in preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB), adding that inspectors "saw several examples of promising and innovative practice".

She said the constabulary had also taken a robust approach to managing offenders and had "improved the quality and timelines of investigations" to "bring justice for victims".

'Responding faster'

Ms Hatchett said the force had made "significant improvements" since the last inspection in 2022.

"We are one of only two forces in the country to be judged as 'outstanding' for preventing and deterring crime and anti-social behaviour, and reducing vulnerability," she said.

She said the force's work on tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) -Operation Centurion -had resulted in a 13% reduction in ASB in hotspot areas in the past year with the force issuing more than 300 ASB civil orders against prolific offenders.

Ms Hatchett said its operation on shoplifting had also been highlighted , with "more than 640 arrests since March."

She said the force had made control room changes, so it was "answering more calls, more quickly and responding faster to crimes and incidents".

"Of course, there are always things we can do to improve further, and we will need to reassure ourselves we are doing everything we can to protect vulnerable people by safeguarding those who need us most," she added.