HAMPSHIRE Police need to make improvements on some of their day to day operations, a report by a Police and Crime government inspector shows.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) which assesses and reports on the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces across the country rated the force as good across the board however identified three areas for improvement.
In the inspection, the report said that the force should manage calls from the public more effectively that would justify the attendance of an officer but do not fall into the criteria for an urgent call.
Alongside this, it also said that the force should undertake appropriate activities to fully understand its workforce’s capabilities, in order to identify any gaps and put plans in place to address them.
Finally, inspectors said the force should improve how it identifies talented members of its workforce and make greater use of career development schemes.
When compiling the report, the inspectors looked at how well the constabulary understands demand, changing patterns of crime and public expectations and how well it plans for the future and uses its resources.
The report also found that the force had cut more than £82m from its budget between 2011 and 2017 and faced more than a £9m funding shortfall in the 2018/19 financial year, which increased to £16m in 2019/20.
Zoe Billingham, an inspector at HMICFRS, said: “I am pleased that Hampshire Constabulary has performed well across the board in our efficiency inspection, achieving a good grading in all the areas we looked at.
“The force has a good understanding of the demand for its services based on systematic analysis of comprehensive data from a wide range of sources.”
Commenting on the report, Michael Lane, Hampshire Constabulary’s Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I am delighted that HMICFRS has assessed Hampshire Constabulary as good.
“I am very aware of the pressures on the whole workforce of Hampshire Constabulary over the last few years and which will continue for some time yet involving further necessary change to ensure this performance can be sustained.
“Hampshire Constabulary has a determination to serve the community well, keeping the people it serves safer. These are helpful pointers and are things that the chief constable already has firmly on her radar and will be essential for the longer-term future.”