A REPORT has told Essex Police that it must improve its procedures in how it protects vulnerable people.

The findings follow an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Service (HMICFRS) which was released today (Wednesday).

The inspection assessed how good Essex Police is in 10 areas of policing. They make

graded judgments in nine of these, as follows:

HM Inspector’s Roy Wilsher’s summary

I am pleased with some aspects of the performance of Essex Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. I am satisfied with most other aspects of the force’s performance, but there are areas in which it needs to improve.

Although the force’s funding is at the lower end of the typical range for police forces in England and Wales, the number of officers and demand in terms of incidents, 999 calls and 101 calls are in line with other forces.

The funding position for Essex Police has created operational challenges and I recognise the force’s desire to secure the best possible position moving forward.

There is a commitment to invest in the prevention of crime, which not only keeps victims safe but also reduces demand.

More broadly, I am pleased with the strong leadership, governance and performance management framework of the force. Essex Police has been receptive to feedback throughout this inspection and, where necessary, has taken immediate steps to improve how it protects the public.

The force has invested in leadership and management training to support the inexperienced members of its workforce. The force is also taking steps to upskill local policing team officers and their supervisors and support them in the investigation of crime.

The force needs to focus more on protecting vulnerable people. It should have systems and processes in place that identify issues before they arise.

The force has worked with Essex County Council to improve the sharing of information about children at risk of harm. It should also take steps to make sure it applies these processes, so no child is left at unnecessary risk of harm.

Since our last inspection, the force has made significant changes within its contact management centre.

Early indications are that these changes will allow the force to provide a better service to the public. The force is rightly continuing to focus on answering emergency and non-emergency telephone calls faster, and we hope that it maintains these improvements.

While I congratulate the police officers and police staff of Essex Police for their efforts to keep the public safe, I will monitor progress in the areas where I feel the force needs to improve.

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Requires Improvement