North Yorkshire Police praised for progress to tackle failings

HMICFRS said it was "optimistic" North Yorkshire Police would build on the improvements seen during the inspection

Inspectors have praised North Yorkshire Police for the progress made after concerns were raised over its performance 12 months ago.

The force was told to make "urgent" improvements after an inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Now, following a fresh review, HMICFRS said the force had made advances in all the areas of improvement identified.

The force said it had "worked hard" to make the necessary changes.

After the 2022 inspection, published in March 2023, the North Yorkshire constabulary was told to make improvements to help keep people safe and reduce crime.

It also found there were not enough detectives to meet demand and called for improvements in the time taken to answer emergency calls.

'Transformative year'

In the latest review it rated the service good in five areas of policing and adequate in four others.

His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: "I have been impressed with North Yorkshire Police's response to the findings of our last inspection in 2022.

"The force has worked quickly to improve the policing service it provides to the communities of North Yorkshire. Because of this, it has made progress in all the areas of improvement identified in our last inspection.

"There are still areas in which North Yorkshire Police must do better. However, I am optimistic that the force's leadership and management will continue to build on the improvements that we have seen during this inspection."

Among the areas highlighted for improvement, HMICFRS said the force needed to do more to ensure it "consistently achieves appropriate outcomes for victims" and also needs to "better understand its demand, so it can manage it more effectively".

Responding to the latest report, Acting Chief Constable Elliot Foskett, said it had been "a transformative year for policing in North Yorkshire".

"We fully embraced the feedback from the Inspectorate at the end of the 2022 inspection and set to work to address the multiple areas which were identified as needing to be improved," he said.

ACC Foskett said the force had "worked hard" over the past 12 months to reach a level "where the Inspectorate told us that the change has been phenomenal".