PEEL Assessment 2023-25: Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to improve the time it takes to answer emergency calls In the year ending 31 July 2024, the constabulary answered 79.5 percent of its 999 calls within 10 seconds. This is lower than the expected standard of forces in England and Wales, which is to answer 90 percent of 999 calls within 10 seconds. force, and the time taken by that force to answer the call. went Lincolnshire Leicestershire reater Manchester West orkshire Sussex West Midlands orthamptonshire orfolk Cumbria Suffolk Humberside ottinghamshire Surrey ent South Wales South orkshire orthumbria Staffordshire Cheshire Cleveland Lancashire Bedfordshire Merseyside Warwickshire Metropolitan Police Cambridgeshire orth Wales evon Cornwall Thames Valley Hampshire loucestershire orth orkshire Hertfordshire yfed Powys Essex Avon Somerset erbyshire urham orset Wiltshire West Mercia Proportion of calls answered in 0 seconds Target of 0 percent During our inspection we found that the constabulary is taking steps to improve its performance in this area. These include: • a new approach to recruiting call handlers; • easily seen boards in the control room showing performance information; and • direct and meaningful supervision and feedback provided to call handlers while they are working. Data on the police.uk website shows that the constabulary’s performance in this area has been improving since the year ending 31 July 2024. But it should sustain these improvements. If the constabulary doesn’t promptly answer calls for service, police officers may not attend incidents quickly enough to protect victims. Failure to answer calls promptly can also lead to investigative opportunities being missed and a loss of public confidence. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should make sure that its internet child abuse team can manage images of online child abuse in line with nationally recognised risk assessment timescales, and that supervisors regularly review officers’ caseloads The constabulary has two teams dealing with the investigations into images of online child abuse. During our inspection we found that one of these teams was understaffed. The other team had accommodation that wasn’t suitable for the sensitive nature of the work it does. We found these things were contributing to delays and backlogs. And that officers felt overworked. The Kent internet risk assessment tool (KIRAT) is used to identify the level of risk posed by those suspected of accessing indecent images of children. This assessment determines the timescale in which the constabulary should take action against a suspect, such as making an arrest or executing a search warrant. In September 2024, we found cases with backlogs that weren’t within these timescales. This included: • cases for which the risk wasn’t known that were being developed by external intelligence teams. The oldest of these was from April 2024. • One outstanding high-risk case that was two weeks old. • Three medium-risk cases dating back to March 2024. • 34 outstanding low-risk cases, the oldest of which was more than a year old. The KIRAT guidelines suggest timescales for enforcement should be seven days for high-risk cases, 14 days for medium-risk cases, and 30 days for low-risk cases. We also found that internet child abuse team officers had active workloads averaging 14.2 cases each. When cases waiting for forensic or intelligence work were included, the average increased to 26 cases each. The constabulary should better manage its efforts to reduce these backlogs. It should enforce cases involving images of online child abuse within KIRAT timescales. This will allow the constabulary to protect the public from the harm caused by those who access and share these images. This area was highlighted as an area for improvement in our previous 2021/22 PEEL report. It was also in our 2023 national child protection inspection of the constabulary. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should make sure that it continually risk assesses any backlogs in online child abuse referrals and cases awaiting enforcement action, and that bail checks and intelligence refreshes take place following enforcement action When cases of images of online child abuse are waiting for enforcement action, they should be regularly reviewed to check for any change in the risk a suspect poses. Following any enforcement action, the risk posed by offenders who are bailed should also be monitored. Pre-enforcement check processes are in place. But we found officers weren’t always doing them or they weren’t always completing them. This was due to high workloads. We also found that, after enforcement action, checks of risks posed by offenders weren’t happening. We also didn’t find any evidence of checks in relation to any bail conditions. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to make sure it implements the findings of its occupational health unit review quickly, so that its workforce can benefit from the improvements The constabulary reviewed its occupational health unit in 2023. As a result, it changed its working model to be led by nurse practitioners. The constabulary found that this would improve how the unit looks after the needs of the workforce, as it would be better able to triage referrals. The constabulary also plans to introduce a new IT system in 2025. And it plans to gain further accreditations beyond its Foundation Occupational Health Standards for Police Forces. But waiting times between an initial referral to the unit and a first appointment remain high. We found that waiting times of over 40 days are common. The constabulary is struggling to recruit appropriately qualified nurses and counsellors to help it provide a timely and quality service. Without such support, those in need of help and assistance are more likely to be absent from work. The constabulary should make sure it puts its plans into practice efficiently and effectively. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should use relevant data and analysis to make sure it is operating efficiently and effectively The constabulary has a clear governance structure. Its management boards and committees have the right attendees to identify and make improvements. The constabulary also has access to a wide range of performance and management data. It uses the Qlik application to both receive and share this data. Qlik is a data visualisation tool that shows data to officers and staff in an easily understandable form. But we found the constabulary wasn’t effectively using this data to identify and improve productivity in all areas of the organisation. The way some data was presented was too complicated and not sufficiently linked to strategic aims. Leadership team members throughout the constabulary aren’t being held to account for their own or their team’s performance, as the data needed to identify opportunities to improve is lacking. This means that leaders don’t have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, so can’t carry out their roles effectively. For example, we found teams with backlogs of work and without the capacity to deal with demand. The constabulary needs to improve its analysis and use of data in these areas so it can appropriately address these issues. We also found evidence of teams working without regular contact with supervisors, and individuals sometimes working alone. And in some departments the constabulary is regularly using overtime and rest day working to reduce demand and backlogs. In our PEEL survey, we found that 68.5 percent of the workforce (1,038 of 1,516 respondents) agreed that overtime is often used to manage demand. This figure was higher for police and student officers only, with 80.7 percent (663 of 822 respondents) agreeing. The constabulary should make sure it uses data and analysis effectively to monitor capacity and capability. It should identify improvements when performance isn’t sufficient to meet demand effectively. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to make sure that its senior leaders are more connected to its workforce The constabulary’s senior leaders are dedicated to providing a service to the communities of Avon and Somerset. The constabulary is working hard to improve its culture. It is providing thoughtful leadership training and has succession planning for future leaders. But we found that too often there is a breakdown in communication between senior leaders and the officers and staff. Officers and staff told us that strategic decisions, organisational change programmes, and some operational decisions aren’t always explained well enough. There are ways for personnel to ask senior leaders questions, but frontline officers and staff told us they often find answers are difficult to locate or unclear. We saw evidence of senior officers communicating with officers and staff. But we didn’t see corresponding evidence of leaders explaining decisions or understanding members of the workforce’s feelings. And officers and staff told us they don’t always feel that they are listened to. The constabulary needs to improve its ability to communicate with and listen to its workforce. It should be clear about the reasons for its strategic decisions. Innovative practice Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to make sure its operating model helps its workforce to address priorities and current and future demand The constabulary has a directorship operating model. Its workforce plan has a ‘minimum service level’ (a minimum number of staff and officers) to try to make sure it has the personnel in place to meet demand. But we found the desired service levels often aren’t met, and it isn’t always clear why certain service levels are chosen. For example, the constabulary has a minimum requirement of 105 response officers, but the reasons for this number aren’t clear. The constabulary’s teams are often not sufficiently resourced. Also, there is a variety of capability and capacity within the teams, and they aren’t always well balanced to meet demand. For example, the constabulary hasn’t evenly distributed response drivers and Taser-trained officers. The constabulary is also using inexperienced officers to investigate complex crimes that they aren’t trained for. And we saw examples of neighbourhood officers attending response calls on a regular basis. If neighbourhood officers attend an incident that results in a crime being recorded, those officers retain the investigation. This is regardless of whether it relates to their role. The constabulary needs to review its current operating model and its personnel’s skills. It needs to make sure the right number of people with the right skills are dealing with the right work. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary is using telematics to make better use of its vehicle fleet The constabulary is using driver telematics effectively. Driver telematics tells the constabulary where and how its vehicles are used. Managers use various applications to decide where best to position vehicles and measure how well officers are driving the vehicles. These allow the constabulary to allocate vehicles to the teams that need them, and for vehicles that aren’t in use to be re-allocated. They also let managers monitor driving quality by examining recordings of ‘harsh events’ such as sharp acceleration and braking. This data is analysed and compared to police vehicle collision data. The constabulary can then identify any particularly skilled drivers and those who might benefit from re-training. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to reduce the number of non-emergency calls abandoned by callers because they aren’t answered In the year ending 31 August 2024, the constabulary told us that callers abandoned 23.9 percent of calls to its non-emergency 101 facility before staff answered the calls. However, as set out in the 2020 national contact management strategy principles and guidance, forces with a switchboard should aim to have an abandonment rate of less than 5 percent. The data from the constabulary suggests that the abandonment rate has reduced in recent months. It should aim to sustain this. As with 999 calls, the constabulary has made changes in its control room which should allow continuous improvement to take place. In terms of non-emergency calls, this includes an evaluation as to why and when callers abandon their calls. High abandonment rates for non-emergencies may lead to callers making inappropriate calls to the system. It also means the constabulary isn’t addressing aspects of unknown risk. This is an area we highlighted as requiring improvement in our previous 2021/22 PEEL report. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should carry out timely investigations into all reported crimes, and make sure that officers take all investigative opportunities During our inspection, we found evidence of delays in crime investigations being allocated to investigators. Supervisors were doing this to relieve the pressure on their teams and to make sure investigators had manageable workloads. We found supervisors in specialist rape investigation teams and the criminal investigation department were themselves managing between 80 and 170 unallocated crimes, some of which had been unallocated for a number of months. In our victim service assessment, we found that 45 out of 57 investigations had an investigation plan that met national standards. When an investigation plan (of any standard) was in place, the plan was followed and updated in 42 of 45 cases. We also found evidence of effective supervision in 64 of 82 cases. Investigators took appropriate and proportionate investigative opportunities from the onset and throughout the investigation in 71 of 96 cases. Some of our findings relating to allocating investigations and to creating and supervising investigation plans were present when we last inspected the constabulary in 2022. Without the timely allocation of investigations, creating investigation plans, and proper supervision, the constabulary can’t provide an appropriate service to victims of crime. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to make sure it is recording outcomes appropriately, and that they comply with force and national policies, leading to satisfactory results for victims The constabulary doesn’t always record the outcomes of crimes correctly. As part of our victim service assessment, we found that the constabulary assigned the correct crime classification outcome in 59 out of 91 relevant cases. Although we found that victims were consulted in 59 of 70 cases, their views were only taken into account in 31 of 48 relevant cases. The constabulary informed them of the outcome in 61 of 73 relevant cases. We found that when an outcome was assigned, a clear rationale for it was recorded in 62 of 88 cases. Also, crime finalisation had effective and appropriate supervision in 72 of 93 cases. In the year ending 31 March 2024, Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded 127,384 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 1.5 percent were assigned outcome 0 (formal action against the offender isn’t in the public interest - police decision). This was higher than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. Similarly, 1.7 percent of offences were assigned outcome 21 (further investigation against the suspect isn’t in the public interest - police decision). This is also higher than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales. As part of our victim service assessment, we audited 20 cases the constabulary had finalised as outcome 10. The audit found all 20 were incorrectly finalised: • eight of the audited crimes should have been closed using outcome 21; • six shouldn’t have been finalised with reasonable enquiries outstanding; • three should have been closed using outcome 16; and • three cases should have been closed using outcomes 18, 20, and 22, respectively. The constabulary needs to understand why it is misusing certain outcomes, in particular outcome types 10 and 21. Incorrect recording of crime and outcomes can reduce the public’s confidence in policing. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should make sure that it consistently achieves appropriate outcomes for victims The constabulary isn’t always achieving acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. It needs to understand the issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. In the year ending 31 March 2024, Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded 127,384 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 8.4 percent were assigned ‘offences brought to justice’ outcomes. This was within the normal range compared to other forces in England and Wales. But despite this, the percentage of cases where Avon and Somerset Constabulary achieved a satisfactory outcome for the victim was low. The constabulary should try to improve this and focus on bringing offenders to justice. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should make sure that it properly documents, supervises, quality assures and monitors compliance of its vulnerability risk assessments The constabulary continues to use a risk assessment tool called BRAG (which stands for ‘blue, red, amber, green’) to identify vulnerability and safeguarding needs for adults, children, and suspects. This allows prompt referrals to partnership organisations such as social services and education providers. It also uses the domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and honour-based violence (DASH) assessment tool in appropriate circumstances. But we found cases where key information was missing. For example, the voice of the child. We also found BRAG cases missing DASH forms where they were required. We found that when information was missing, safeguarding officers didn’t make enough effort to get it. And supervisors carrying out initial reviews of referrals did so inconsistently and with limited training and experience. The constabulary intends to move to a new system of risk assessment in 2025. Since our inspection, it has put processes in place to better understand all stages of the vulnerability risk assessment process. But these aren’t yet comprehensive. So, the constabulary may be missing opportunities to safeguard vulnerable people until the new systems and processes are in place. The constabulary should make sure that it trains its frontline personnel and supervisors to better assess vulnerability at the first point of contact. It should make sure the referral process is comprehensive and offers the best opportunity to prevent future harm. This is an area we highlighted in our previous inspection of the constabulary in 2022. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary needs to make sure it has sufficiently trained personnel and the resources to make sure the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme complies with the required legislative processes and timescales The constabulary doesn’t make full use of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme ( V S, also known as Clare’s Law). The scheme allows the police to inform a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s previous abusive or violent offending, under the ‘right to know’ and ‘right to ask’ processes. In the year ending 31 March 2024, Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded 51 ‘right to know’ applications. This equated to 2. applications per 100,000 population. This was lower than expected compared to other forces across England and Wales. The average across all forces was 42.8 applications per 100,000 population. Additionally, in the year ending 31 March 2024, Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded ‘right to know’ disclosures. This equated to . disclosures per 100,000 population. This was lower than expected compared to other forces across England and Wales. The average across 42 forces was 18.5 disclosures per 100,000 population. During our inspection, we found DVDS records that had been started several years ago that remained open. These were later found to be an administrative error. We also found a backlog of cases that the constabulary weren’t assessing within the statutory 2 -day limit. The risk in these cases wasn’t being reviewed while they were delayed. And untrained personnel were making assessments and decisions with limited multi-agency involvement or support. We raised these issues with the constabulary at the time, to help it address any immediate safeguarding concerns. During our inspection, the constabulary started taking steps to improve in this area. It has increased resources and oversight and has managed to reduce its backlog of cases. However, this was an area we highlighted for improvement in our last inspection in 2022. The constabulary should make sure it has sustainable resources, processes and leadership in place to make the best use of the DVDS scheme, to protect the public from domestic abuse offenders. Innovative practice Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should improve its governance and approach to managing suspects and wanted people During our inspection we found that officers and supervisors generally understood how to manage offenders and suspects. And they generally understood the requirements of the new bail legislation under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. But we also found that there was little oversight of wanted people at a constabulary-wide level. Or of the risks that these people posed to the public. We found that the way in which wanted people were prioritised for arrest was unclear. It sometimes occurred before cases were at the most suitable stage for an arrest. We also found examples of people wanted for offences involving violence who had been wanted for some months with no apparent action being taken. In the year ending 12 October 2021, there were 573 wanted suspects whose details had circulated on the Police National Computer for more than six months. In the year ending 1 March 2022, this increased to 628. In the year ending 5 June 2024, it increased to 737. We also found that the constabulary was aware that the number of suspects it had on police bail and released under investigation was rising, and that there were inaccuracies in its record keeping. The constabulary told us that there were approximately 20 cases per month where suspects on police bail lapsed into being released under investigation, without any specific decision being made for this to happen. This suggests that processes, supervision and resources aren’t in place to properly manage investigations that have suspects on police bail. In our inspection we also found that cases in which suspects are dealt with through voluntary attendance could more consistently managed. The constabulary should make sure all officers take necessary forensic samples from suspects when they attend incidents. The constabulary should make sure that it manages suspects and offenders properly. This would reduce the risk of them re-offending and harming the public. Avon and Somerset Police

The constabulary should make sure that it has processes and resources in place to visit registered sex offenders and manage the risk posed by them During our initial inspection activities in May 2024, the constabulary told us that it had backlogs of 311 registered sex offender home visits and 129 active risk management system assessments. Home visits and risk assessments are carried out to accurately assess the risks posed by registered sex offenders. Since that time, the constabulary has taken steps to reduce the backlogs. It has done this by using overtime and the assistance of other officers, including the constabulary’s proactive Operation Remedy team. Despite this, at the end of our inspection the constabulary told us that the backlogs were now 271 overdue visits and 231 overdue active risk management system assessments. Delays in visiting or risk assessing registered sex offenders means that the constabulary may be unaware of the risk these offenders pose. This restricts how well it can protect the public. The constabulary should keep trying to reduce these backlogs. We highlighted this as an area for improvement in our previous 2021/22 PEEL report. Avon and Somerset Police