Lancashire Constabulary 'failing' to protect some children

The force said it was making improvements "as a matter of urgency"

Police are failing to protect some children from the risk of harm in Lancashire, investigators have found.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary graded 30 of the 79 cases it reviewed at Lancashire Constabulary as inadequate.

In one case, the force was criticised over its response to reports of a 25-year-old man messaging a 15-year-old girl with learning difficulties in a care home and attempting to meet her.

The force has apologised and said work had begun to rectify the failings.

In the report, inspectors concluded: "Frontline officers do not always recognise children in need of safeguarding at the earliest opportunity".

They also raised concerns about "workload pressures" meaning officers were struggling to manage high levels of demand, which "compromises effective investigations"

Inspectors were "encouraged" by the force's response to their recommendations

The girl at the care home had been asked to send photographs of herself and there was "clear evidence" the man wanted to meet her, the report said.

However, there had been no police records "to indicate whether an investigation was conducted".

There were no records to show the child had been spoken to and nothing to show police had tried to trace the man concerned.

Records did show a "request for a strategy meeting", but it was unclear whether this ever took place, the report said.

Inspectors referred 10 cases containing "evidence of a serious problem" back to the force for further action.

Key findings:

• Governance of child protection is under-developed leaving some children at unnecessary risk

• Many frontline officers see their responsibility for safeguarding as limited to identifying children as vulnerable on the police system

• Some basic processes for recording child protection incidents are weak

• A reorganisation since 2016 is translating into better child protection work and improving outcomes for some vulnerable children

Deputy Ch Con Sunita Gamblin said the force was taking the findings "extremely seriously" and improvements were "a matter of urgency."

She said it had "revisited all the cases they examined" and was "investing significantly in investigation and safeguarding".

Inspectors said they were "encouraged" by the force's response to their recommendations.

The force had shown a "clear commitment" to serving vulnerable children and had "taken immediate steps to improve", they added.

It will be reassessed in six months.