Hampshire police child protection review finds more work needed

The report said children's services had improved in the force since its 2021 inspection

A report into how children are dealt with by police has found that while outcomes are improving, young people are still at risk.

An inspection of Hampshire Constabulary by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was reviewed in June.

Of 30 child protection cases audited, 18 were found to either require improvement or be inadequate.

However, the report noted there was a "clear commitment" to child protection.

It said the force had committed a "great deal of resources, time and energy" to making improvements to the service it provides to children since the last inspection in June 2021.

The report found resources and training in the force had increased, but added inspectors "found problems with capacity in some departments and teams" which was "undermining the good work completed".

Hampshire Constabulary has a target to attend 75% of priority incidents within an hour, HMICFRS said.

The watchdog found 54% of priority incidents had been attended within that time.

However, it said one 16-year-old boy, who had been attacked by his mother who has bi-polar disorder, had not been seen two days after it was reported.

During its inspection, the resolution centre had 696 open incidents - the oldest unallocated incident being 23 days old and callers were waiting five days for initial contact, HMICFRS stated.

However, it confirmed staff were "routinely monitoring queues to prioritise cases involving children".

'Closer scrutiny'

The report also confirmed the force had "worked well" with safeguarding partners since the 2021 inspection and had introduced 200 child-centred policing champions across the organisation.

In a report statement, the watchdog said: "The force recognises that it still needs to improve in some areas to provide consistently better outcomes for children.

"We are, however, confident that the force understands where it needs to improve."

The watchdog added it would continue to monitor Hampshire Constabulary's progress and "instigate closer scrutiny if necessary."

In a statement, Hampshire Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said: "Protecting children is one of the most important jobs policing does, and our child-centred policing strategy puts this at the heart of everything we do."

He added the force continued "to build and maintain strong relationships with safeguarding partners to address recommendations made and ensure those most at risk are given the care and support they need".