Staffordshire Police has not made enough improvement - inspectors

Chief Constable Chris Noble said he was pleased progress had been noted

Staffordshire Police has not made enough improvement in performance after concerns were raised about the force last year, inspectors say.

It was found to be inadequate in three areas months after inspectors decided extra monitoring was needed.

Following the latest visit in January, inspectors said it had improved in some areas, but still had more to do.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said he was pleased progress had been noted and accepted improvements were needed.

The force was moved by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) into an enhanced monitoring process called Engage last year, over the concerns about performance.

In September, inspectors said Staffordshire Police was inadequate for how it investigates crime, manages offenders and suspects, and responds to the public.

While aspects of performance in investigating crime effectively had improved by the recent inspection, the force was still not up to the required standard, HMICFRS said.

'Improvement must be sustained'

There had been no meaningful progress on providing adequate supervision throughout investigations. There had been some improvement in using investigation plans and recording consideration of evidence-based prosecutions, but the force was not implementing this routinely, inspectors added.

But HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said she was optimistic for the future, but added that the force would continue to be monitored.

"As part of the Engage process, we revisited the force last month and found it had made progress in some areas. We welcome these improvements - they are positive steps in the right direction," she said.

"However, the force has not made enough progress yet. These improvements need to be sustained and become routine."

In response, Staffordshire Police said officers had been "freed up" to dedicate quality time on investigations and a crime admin bureau would take on some of the administrative burden placed on officers.

Bespoke training was being rolled out to constables and investigative officers to help "push up standards", it said, while a "triage function" for emergency and non-emergency calls was used to direct calls that could be dealt with by partner agencies.

"Many of our plans will not be possible without the support and guidance of key partners and stakeholders, but I am confident that together we can achieve our aims of protecting victims, safeguarding the vulnerable and preventing crime to secure safe and confident communities in Staffordshire," Chief Constable Noble said.