Dorset Police 2024

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspect, monitor and report on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces and fire services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the aim of encouraging improvement. They ask the questions they believe the public wish to have answered, carry out visits and collect data. Their inspectors interpret the evidence and make recommendations for improvement.

PEEL assessment

PEEL refers to police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy and is the regular assessment of police forces carried out by HMICFRS. Every police force in England and Wales is subject to a rolling cycle of PEEL inspections, and inspectors use inspection findings, analysis and professional judgment to assess how good forces are in several areas of policing. Most of these areas are then graded as outstanding, good, adequate, requires improvement or inadequate.

During a PEEL inspection, forces are assessed against a published PEEL Assessment Framework (PAF).

The PAF also provides ‘Characteristics of Good’ that they will be looking for evidence of in the Force.

Once all inspection activity is complete, the Force is given a graded judgement for each Core Question.

Dorset last had their inspection in 2021/2022, with the report being published in April 2022. Click here to access the HMICFRS page specific to previous Dorset Police PEEL inspection.

There are 5 grades:

1. Outstanding
2. Good
3. Adequate
4. Requires Improvement
5. Inadequate

Dorset was graded:

1. Good:
   1. Preventing crime
   2. Developing a positive workplace
2. Adequate
   1. Treatment of the public
   2. protecting vulnerable people
   3. Managing offenders
   4. Good use of resources
3. Requies Improvement
   1. Investigating crime
   2. Responding to the public

Dorset Police has been working on

Since this report has been published Dorset Police has been working on satisfying the recommendations and areas for improvements identified.

The Force is currently in the inspection window for the 2023/2024 inspection, with the main inspection activity  happening for two weeks starting Monday 21 October 2024.

HMICFRS has also conducted recent thematic inspections across the Force. These have been:

• Serious and Organised Crime Inspection in March 2024: awaiting report and grade.
• Activism and impartiality in policing in November 2023: awaiting report.
• Custody inspection in February 2023: ungraded. Report here.

Force management statement (FMS)

A force management statement (FMS) is a self-assessment prepared by the Chief Constable and submitted to HMICFRS each year. It is required to be the Chief Constable’s statement and explanation of:

Demand

Demand expected now and in the foreseeable future.

Assets

The performance, condition, composition, capacity, capability, serviceability and security of supply of the Force’s workforce and other assets.

Change

Planned changes to manage future demand.

Residual demand

The effect of future unmet demands

Money

The money the force expects to have to do all this.

HMICFRS uses the FMS to help direct its inspection activity within PEEL, see (table on previous page). It also assists in identifying which areas of a force’s activities present the greatest risks to the public.

FMSs are a reasonably new addition to the performance management framework – the first being prepared in 2018. An FMS is intended as an internal planning document to aid police forces’ understanding of their organisation and how to meet demand.

The latest Dorset FMS was submitted to HMICFRS in March 2024.