Police told it 'could do better'
West Mercia Police was told today that it needs to improve, following a government inspection.
HM Inspectorate of Constabularies gave the force an "inadequate" rating regarding its performance of on serious and organised crime, and said it was "good" in just four of the areas it was inspected in.
Chief Constable Anthony Bangham admitted he was disappointed with the result of the inspection, which had rated the force as "good" last year.
The report praised the force for its work in investigating crime and preventing re-offending, but was found wanting at crime prevention and tackling anti-social behaviour, and also in protecting vulnerable people.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said the force's performance was disappointing compared to last year’s assessment.
She said while the force needed to improve its initial response to incidents involving vulnerable people, particularly victims of domestic abuse.
“The force’s approach to serious and organised crime is a cause of concern.
"There are weaknesses in the way it assesses the risks posed by organised crime groups, and its processes for scrutinising the use of tactics and interventions are under development.
"It is failing to assess the impact of its efforts to disrupt the activities of organised crime groups in accordance with national guidelines. "The force needs to ensure that the prevention of serious and organised crime is based on a comprehensive understanding of the threats posed.
"It also needs to work more closely with its partner organisations to understand and prevent this type of criminality.”
Mr Bangham said he accepted the force was "not where we should have been" at the time of the inspection last year.
But he said the report also identified areas of improvement.
“Although we are disappointed that the inspectorate felt we had not responded well enough to previous recommendations, there were several examples in the inspection of positive work ongoing across the force area," he said.
"This included recognition for the force’s work to understand the signs of vulnerability and our investigations involving vulnerable people. We are pleased to see this, as it clearly reflects the force’s aim to focus on protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities."
