Two of the four Welsh police forces 'require improvement' in the way they prevent and investigate crime
A HMIC report grading every police force on its overall effectiveness in reducing crime and keeping people safe, has concluded two of the four Welsh forces 'require improvement'.
Basing its assessment on how well they prevent and investigate crime, manage offenders, protect vulnerable people and tackle serious organised crime, both Dyfed Powys and North Wales Police were told improvement was needed.
Meanwhile South Wales Police and Gwent Police were given a rating of 'Good'.
Overall, the report found most police forces are 'good' at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, but the quality of investigations remains disappointing.
HMIC says it found a similar pattern in last year's report, and that it is 'disappointed' not to see more progress
This is one of the most wide-ranging inspections HMIC has ever conducted. We've examined police effectiveness across the board - from how forces identify anti-social behaviour hotspots, to their mapping of organised crime groups, and from their management of the most dangerous offenders, to their work to protect children.
North Wales Police says the report highlights the achievement of the force in a number of areas at a time when it has been under 'considerable pressure to reduce spending.'
However it says the report, which states North Wales Police requires improvement in keeping people safe and reducing crime, contradicts itself.
The report has in fact confirmed North Wales Police is good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe which are priorities in my Police and Crime Plan and which the report states the force understand and carry out well. Among the findings was that North Wales Police reduced crime by 2.9 per cent which is more than any other force in Wales - and the reduction was achieved at a time when crime in England and Wales as a whole went up by 4.5 per cent.
Meanwhile Dyfed-Powys Police say it too welcomes the report which praises its approach to tackling serious and organised crime, and that while it is a small service relative to the area it polices, it is always thinking innovatively about how it allocates resources and meets demand.
The areas served by Dyfed Powys Police are the safest in England and Wales, but when a crime does occur I am very proud to be able to say that we are one of only a few Forces nationally who continue to send an officer to the scene. We are a small service relative to the area we police and in these financially challenging times, we are always thinking innovatively about how we allocate our resources to meet demand.
Outstanding
Durham Constabulary
Good
Cheshire
Hertfordshire
Nottinghamshire
City of London
Kent
South Wales
Derbyshire
Lancashire Suffolk
Devon and Cornwall
Leicestershire Sussex
Dorset
Merseyside
Thames Valley
Greater Manchester
Norfolk West Midlands
Gwent
North Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
Hampshire
Northumbria
Wiltshire
Requires Improvement
Avon and Somerset
Essex
Northamptonshire
Bedfordshire
Gloucestershire
South Yorkshire
Cambridgeshire
Humberside
Staffordshire
Cleveland
Lincolnshire
Surrey
Cumbria
Metropolitan
Warwickshire
Dyfed-Powys
North Wales
West Mercia