Warwickshire Constabulary has been praised for its performance in the light of the exceptional demands it has faced, in a report by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabularies (HMI) published yesterday (16 February)

The inspector found that Warwickshire Police provides an efficient and effective service to the public despite a series of difficult financial settlements.

The annual inspection – carried out between 9 and 13 November last year – aims to highlight areas for improvement as well as good practice. The inspection involved interviewing officers and civilians at all levels, as well as examining the force’s strategies, policies and systems.

Areas which were praised in the report include the increase in the detection rate for violent crime to 80.5 percent and the high priority given to domestic violence incidents, as well as the quality of police investigations.

Action on equal opportunities – employing a full-time equal opportunities advisor and the increase in the proportion of Warwickshire police officers from ethnic minorities to 2.5% - "substantially higher than most similar forces and provincial averages" – was also highlighted, along with the "energy and enthusiasm of officers and staff".

Many of the areas targeted for improvement in the report are already being tackled:

• A new strategic plan – A Safer Warwickshire – has been published in draft which encompasses a clearer vision and policing style for Warwickshire (launch?)

• The training and personnel departments have been merged into one department

• A new Crime Manager (Detective Superintendent) has been appointed and is reviewing the crime reduction strategy.

• Strategic management and policy making systems have been streamlined and include full consultation, including staff associations.

Another area of concern – call management response times – is also being focused on. New training and performance initiatives have already increased response performance to 91.8% of 999 calls being answered within the force target of 15 seconds – up from 76% average in 1997/98. A new command and control system due to be launched in April looks set to improve efficiency still further.

Mick Brewer, Deputy Chief Constable of Warwickshire said:

"We welcome the HMI’s report and are pleased to find so many positive comments about our work. There are areas of concern but we are already tackling these.

"The next year will be challenging as we are undergoing a major reorganisation – but the focus of this will be to achieve the high levels of performance that we, the HMI and the public expect of us."