Sussex Police protection of domestic abuse victims 'disappointing'

Some domestic abuse victims had to wait several days to see a police officer, inspectors found

Vulnerable people are not always adequately protected by Sussex Police, an inspector has said.

The force was satisfactory in most areas, but must improve the way it looks after those at risk, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found.

The force was previously criticised for its treatment of victims after Shana Grice was murdered by her ex-partner.

Inspectors said it remained "ineffective" at protecting domestic abuse victims.

Ch Con Giles York said the report "does not reflect the huge strides that have been made since" the inspection in April 2019.

The ways in which the force manages risk "were once again ineffective," the report said, adding: "Domestic abuse victims were often left for days without seeing a police officer".

Shana Grice had reported her ex-partner to police on five occasions before her death

Inspectors highlighted the case of one woman, with mental health issues, who was first seen by an officer nine days after reporting mental, physical and financial abuse by her partner.

"Once officers and staff arrive at an incident, they are good at assessing victims' vulnerability," the report said.

The force was good at identifying "hidden harms", such as child sexual exploitation and honour-based crimes, the inspectorate said.

However, because of delays answering non-emergency 101 calls - on average 43% of calls went unanswered and were abandoned - "some victims may not be getting through to police at all," it said.

Earlier this year, another inspection found the force needs to improve the way it handles harassment and stalking, in the wake of the 2016 death of Ms Grice, who was given a warning for wasting police time when she reported the stalker who went on to kill her.

Ch Con Giles York said "huge strides" had been made since the inspection in April 2019

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham said that "despite the positives," she was "disappointed" the force had not made more improvement in its treatment of vulnerable people.

"It does not consistently assess the risks or respond to them in a timely manner, which means that people at risk may not always be adequately protected," she said.

Ch Con York said the force would be "further enhancing our service to victims of domestic abuse and the specialist support available for victims of sexual violence".

Since the inspection, 101 call waiting times had been reduced by more than 70%, leading to a reduction in the number of abandoned calls, he said.

The force had also "significantly re-invested" in neighbourhood policing and investigative units, he said.