Watchdog closes North Wales Police ’cause of concern’ over serious organised crime response
North Wales Police has had a formal warning over its handling of serious organised crime lifted by the national inspectorate.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) issued a cause of concern to the force following its 2022-23 inspection, finding it did not have enough resources to tackle serious organised crime and that parts of the workforce did not understand it as a priority.
The inspectorate wrote to Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman on 4 March 2026 to confirm the cause of concern had been closed.
The letter sets out the original failings identified, which included two of the force’s three proactive units not being fully operational, a shortage of analytical staff, and a failure to record learning from organised crime investigations, an issue the inspectorate had first raised with the force in 2016.
North Wales Police contacted HMICFRS in December 2024 to request a formal review of its progress.
Inspectors gathered evidence between February and May 2025, including observing internal meetings, reviewing force documents and interviewing senior managers.
They found the force had introduced a new intelligence structure in June 2024, bringing three area intelligence units under central management, and had increased the number of analysts working on specific organised crime threats.
The number of live organised crime threat assessments recorded by the force rose from 42 in January 2023 to 70 in January 2025.
Recorded disruptions to organised crime groups rose from 186 in the year ending 31 December 2022 to 1,691 in the year ending 31 December 2024.
The force also introduced priority crime teams across each of its three policing areas and set up local partnership boards to improve information sharing with other agencies tackling organised crime.
The inspectorate said the force still needs to improve consistency in how it manages its organised crime response across different divisions, noting that separate divisions were running different meeting formats.
HMICFRS inspector Kathryn Stone wrote: “We were pleased to see the significant steps North Wales Police has taken in response to the cause of concern we issued.”
Chief Constable Blakeman said: “I welcome these findings, which confirm the hard work we have undertaken to ensure a comprehensive approach to fighting serious organised crime.
“Tackling serious organised crime is a priority to us.
“Organised crime groups do not recognise borders, and we will continue to work closely with colleagues from across the north west to relentlessly pursue those who seek to gain from criminality in the region.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “My role as Police and Crime Commissioner is to hold the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public, and I made tackling serious and organised crime a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan following my re-election.
“It is testament to the dedication and hard work of the senior officers of North Wales Police that these changes have been implemented. T
here is always more work to be done, but I look forward to working with the Chief Constable and her team to ensure North Wales is the safest and most secure region of the UK.”
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