North Wales Police needs to improve its overall efficiency in keeping people safe and reducing crime says watchdog

Significantly ‘stressed’ police forces need to continue to change says the latest report into police efficiency, published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The Watchdog concluded North Wales Police (NWP) needs to improve its overall efficiency in keeping people safe and reducing crime according to the report published today.

It is HMICFRS’s third annual review of how the force manages its resources, it says some aspects are managed well such as understanding the demand for its services which it used to deploy people and resources where they are needed most.

NWP’s overall ‘Requires Improvement’ judgment from HMICFRS is “not consistent with last year, when the force was assessed to be good for efficiency overall.”

HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said:

“North Wales Police needs to improve its overall efficiency in keeping people safe and reducing crime. Although there are some aspects of these duties that it manages well, there is more that the force can do.

The force is good at understanding demand and has well-established processes and systems for monitoring and understanding current demand. The force uses this understanding to deploy people and resources where they are needed most. This includes understanding demand that might otherwise go unreported.

North Wales Police needs to improve in the way that the force plans for the future. Leaders are beginning to undertake analysis of some roles to gain a clearer picture of how demand is changing, including likely future demand for its services, and the force is developing a long-term force plan which will draw all of this work together.

This plan will include making better use of technology, reducing partner resources and taking into consideration the views of local communities. However, at present the force does not have a single vision of the future to bring all of this activity together, thereby enabling it to meet future demand.

The force’s plans for the future are realistic but are not transformative. Evidence of innovation within the organisation is comparatively limited, when compared to other forces. However, the force is good at continuing to make savings, which means that it is able to invest well in its infrastructure, to make further savings in the future.”

The Report In Full:

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