HMI Zoë Billingham: Overall assessment
Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s performance in reducing crime is generally in line with, or just below, other similar forces. The cost of policing is low compared to peer forces. The force has some of the lowest numbers of police officers and staff, relative to its population, than anywhere else in the country. Overall, crime in the county is falling. However, there remains considerable scope for improvement in solving the crimes that matter to local people, including house burglary and vehicle crime.
Cambridgeshire is a medium-sized county with affluent rural communities as well as some areas of both urban and rural deprivation. Its population of around 769,000, has risen rapidly in recent years, largely due to an increase in migrant workers from Eastern Europe. People from over 90 different nationalities live in Cambridge and Peterborough, the two main urban areas. Cambridge itself attracts four million visitors each year. There are important major road networks across the county providing links to London and the South East, and connecting the East Coast to the West Midlands and the North West.
The force can point to some strong areas of performance. It is better than peer forces at solving serious sexual crimes and has become a national leader in the investigation of human trafficking and exploitation of women in the sex industry. There is good collaboration with other forces in areas such as major crime, including murders and witness protection. Public confidence and satisfaction levels have remained stable and are in line with similar forces. The level of satisfaction with the policing service among black and minority ethnic victims has improved over the last two years. Cambridgeshire Constabulary has implemented changes following its Policing Pledge Inspection last year which looked at how well it responds to people in need and for which it was graded overall as 'Fair'. On our recent progress check we found that the force is now delivering continual improvements in its approach to service delivery, its treatment of victims and in the quality of feedback given to local communities on how offenders are dealt with. The force has very good systems and procedures for identifying and dealing with repeat victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB). Perceptions of high levels of ASB are stable and in line with peer forces.
The main challenge the force faces is reducing house burglary, robbery and vehicle crime in and around Peterborough. Partnership working continues to be a significant concern; and under performance in this area of the county is having an adverse impact on the overall performance of the force. The constabulary has indicated its determination to address this issue as a matter of urgency. It is working diligently with its partners to understand the complexity of the challenges faced in and around Peterborough and is looking to identify lasting solutions that will improve community safety for local people. I will be monitoring closely how well the force responds to its challenges over the coming months.
HMIC's assessment of performance and prospect of improvement
HMIC inspects how forces perform in a range of activities and against a number of agreed standards. HMIC's assessment of performance for each of these activities is shown below.
HMIC also makes a professional assessment of whether the force's performance is likely to improve or decline in the future, for some indicators.
