Our selfie girl, Alison Hernandez, was first elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in May 2016.

 What has she ever achieved? – Owl

Vital report says Devon and Cornwall Police ‘requires improvement’

Paul Greaves www.devonlive.com 

It needs to improve how it reviews vetting decisions, manages complaints and monitors the use of its IT systems

A new inspection report says Devon and Cornwall Police ‘requires improvement’ in key areas of integrity. It needs to improve how it reviews vetting decisions, manages complaints and monitors the use of its IT systems, the police inspectorate has said.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) assessed the effectiveness of Devon and Cornwall Police in three main areas as part of its integrity inspection programme.

It has been told that it ‘requires improvement’ in its vetting of police officers and staff, professional standards and counter-corruption arrangements.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said she was ‘disappointed’ but not surprised by the findings, made public on Wednesday, October 29.

HMICFRS found that the force:

• actively looks for evidence of disproportionality in its vetting decisions and is adequately staffed to meet demand;
• should improve how it explores and records information which might question the suitability of an individual during the vetting process. It also needs to implement an effective quality assurance process to review vetting decisions;
• has an established process for sharing some relevant adverse information between departments, to help uphold professional standards;
• needs to improve the way it manages complaints and conduct matters, and its timeliness in relation to handling public complaints;
• proactively looks for corruption-related intelligence as a matter of routine. The counter-corruption unit’s IT monitoring system automatically alerts relevant personnel if it identifies potential misuse; and
• should improve how it monitors the use of its IT systems so it can effectively monitor, audit and investigate potential misuse.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Kathryn Stone said: “The work of force vetting units, professional standards departments and counter-corruption units has never been more vital, with increased demand and focus on their activities.

“When police officers or staff are found to be involved in misconduct, it reduces public trust and confidence in the police service. We must make sure that the right people join the police service and those working to keep our communities safe can be trusted to do so.

“We were disappointed to find that the force requires improvement in all areas of our inspection. It needs to implement an effective quality assurance process to review vetting decisions. And it should improve the way it manages complaints and conduct matters, including the time it takes to respond to public complaints.”

The report said it was ‘positive’ to find that Devon and Cornwall Police proactively looks for corruption-related intelligence and had an established process for sharing some relevant adverse information between departments.

The inspector said the force’s progress will be monitored.

Alison Hernandez said: “Although disappointed, I am not surprised at the findings within this report.

“I have previously placed on record my own disappointment with the police’s performance in a number of the areas highlighted by HMICFRS and have already put in place a number of measures to address them.

“These measures include my authorisation of an extra £500,000 in the police’s budget to deal with complaints made by the public, and by putting in place stronger scrutiny and oversight processes.

“This enhanced scrutiny has included me taking a ‘deep-dive’ into the performance of the Professional Standards Department through my new Accountability Board, and the creation of a new Police Conduct Oversight Board, which provides me with oversight of police misconduct cases and public complaints.

“Through this oversight work, it is clear to me that under the leadership of Chief Constable James Vaughan performance has – and continues to – improve in nearly all areas. However, there is clearly still much work to do, and I am grateful to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for the work that they continue to do in ensuring that these matters – critical for public confidence – remain in the spotlight.”