DEVON and Cornwall Police has welcomed the announcement by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that the Force has been formally discharged from the Inspectorate’s concerns regarding answering emergency and non emergency calls.

In a letter from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke to Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, he commended the Force for the progress it has made in responding to the public particularly over the busy summer period. The inspectorate noted that the Force had made significant and sustainable improvements.

In August 2024, one of the busiest months for the Force, 93.9 per cent of all 999 calls were answered within the national threshold of ten seconds. Nationally published BT data published in August ranked the Force 16th for answering 999 calls compared to the forty-two other forces. For 101 calls, in August, 93.9 per cent of calls were answered within the threshold of 20 minutes and 93.4 per cent of other 101 contact (email and digital demand) were answered within 24 hours.

The Force was moved in to the Engage phase of monitoring which provides additional scrutiny on behalf of the public by HMICFRS in October 2022. It identified three key areas where the Force needed to make clear and sustained improvements – the management of violent and sexual offenders (MOSOVO); the Force’s ability to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and how crime is recorded.

The Force was formally discharged from concerns regarding the management of MOSOVO in January this year. For the recording of crime, the Force remains in the Engage phase, however, the inadequate rating has today been lifted by HMICFRS and the Inspectorate has placed the Force on a more positive rating of requires improvement in this area. The Force’s own recent audit shows crime recording compliance is currently being maintained at levels above 90 per cent.

For investigating crime, HMICFRS has today said this area will also remain a cause for concern, but it has acknowledged the progress the Force continues to make and highlights an increase in positive outcomes.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “I am pleased that HMICFRS has recognised the significant improvements the Force has made over the past 12 months in answering 999 and 101 calls which we have maintained throughout our busy summer period. This is testament to the hard work of officers and staff across the Force who have worked together to deliver improvements including transforming our digital contact.

“However, we will not be complacent, and we will continue to make efforts to improve our contact with the public to ensure that victims receive the service they rightly deserve.

“We have now been discharged by HMICFRS for two of the three areas for the Engage phase of monitoring, and the Inspectorate has also today recognised our work in improving how we record crime – signs we are making real and sustained progress, Our own recent audit shows that our crime recording compliance is improving but we fully accept that we still have further work to do to improve in this area particularly around the recording of rape offences and antisocial behaviour.

“We also continue to be focussed on our investigation standards and are committed to delivering better outcomes for victims and bring more offenders to justice resulting in an improved service for our communities.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with HMICFRS and welcoming the Inspectorate back in the coming months to further consider our progress.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “The challenges in dealing with calls to the 101 non-emergency and 999 emergency call lines have been immense and pre-date my first term. Various attempts have been made to tackle this challenge, and significant investment in people and technology has been made over many years. This time strong leadership and a hands-on approach to fixing what was wrong has made the difference. The force's call handlers continue to work under immense pressure, and I know many callers are grateful for their professionalism and expertise.

“There is still work to do to support the force on its improvement journey, but I am delighted that the Inspectorate has formally recognised the significant improvement in this area, which matters so much to the public we serve and influences public confidence in policing.”