PEEL Assessment 2023-25: Northumbria Police

The force needs to improve its oversight and governance of coercive powers During our inspection, we found that there were gaps relating to several aspects of how the force monitors and manages stop and search and the use of force. Making sure that officers are properly trained in stop and search and the use of force is critical to maintaining public confidence that powers are being used legitimately and proportionately. We found that the force had an inconsistent approach to deploying officers to operational duties while their training was out of date. The force’s policy doesn’t allow officers to be deployed if they haven’t received public and personal safety training within the last 12 months. But we found that there was confusion around this and that some officers were still being deployed despite their training having lapsed. In addition, the force was unable to specify how out of date the training was for these officers. Closer oversight is required to make sure the force follows its policy. The force has brought in additional audit and quality assurance processes in relation to stop and search and the use of force, after finding that supervisors weren’t consistently carrying out reviews or observing body-worn video of these encounters. Some sergeants told us that they weren’t aware there was an expectation to carry out these reviews. Their officers told us that they weren’t aware of what happened to these cases once they had been submitted and that the feedback they received about these encounters was inconsistent. In some geographical areas, the review and audit function has now been transferred from first-line supervisors to central teams. But the force isn’t always able to review body-worn video relating to the use of force as the footage isn’t always available. This means an effective review isn’t possible. It is too early to know whether officers are now receiving feedback from the central audit function. The force also needs to make sure that the themes and trends it identifies from its auditing and data analysis processes are collated more effectively and then used to promote improvements. The force has one external scrutiny panel, which meets quarterly, as well as separate youth panels. We found that the work of these panels included some good practice. We found that the main scrutiny panel was reviewing between 12 and 20 cases a year. This isn’t enough to provide the force with sufficient scrutiny and challenge, and it should increase the number of cases it reviews. Innovative practice Northumbria Police

The force needs to further develop its understanding of the well-being challenges its workforce faces and should focus improvements to make sure it is effectively supporting the welfare of all officers and staff The force has clear strategies and delivery plans in place to address well-being issues. But many of these are relatively new and yet to be established so require further development. The force needs to better monitor its position against the Blue Light Wellbeing Framework. If it can make progress in meeting the framework’s standards, this should lead to better well-being support for the workforce. The workforce’s knowledge and understanding of local well-being measures is inconsistent. Staff and officers told us they see some well-being support as positive but would like to see the force further addressing the basics of well-being. They described the force as dealing with the symptoms of stress and workplace challenges rather than the causes. Some members of the workforce told us that the force didn’t cater for everyday well-being needs. They reported working for entire shifts without receiving any form of break. When they were offered a break, they had to use this to complete paperwork. Some line managers told us that they didn’t feel empowered to manage well-being effectively due to the pressures of demand for service. Demand on some specialist investigation teams is excessive. This is worsened by vacancies, which are increasing workloads for personnel in post. Force data shows that sickness levels in these teams are higher than the force average. The force carries out an internal workforce survey that receives high return rates throughout the organisation. In the most recent survey in November 2024, personnel highlighted well-being concerns. The force has plans in place to respond to these findings. It should make sure these effectively address the concerns raised. Northumbria Police

The force needs to improve its effectiveness and productivity through better use of technology, including mobile working The force isn’t making the most of technology because of its outdated IT systems. This is hindering its effectiveness. The force told us that it is investing in technology and has plans in place to upgrade its record management system. This upgrade is needed before some other improvements can take place, but it isn’t due to be completed until 2026. The force needs to consider what technology it can introduce during this time to improve its efficiency. The force is using some digital tools, such as automated data dashboards, to provide management information. It also uses finance software to automatically process invoices for goods and services. But we found that a number of manual and time-consuming processes were still in place. Some of these could be automated and aren’t reliant on having a new record management system. The force needs to prioritise its plans to replace or upgrade the systems and processes that most affect its ability to be efficient and productive. For example, the workforce database doesn’t communicate well with other systems, which makes data collection difficult and time-consuming. The force also needs to improve the capability of its mobile devices. At the time of our inspection, most operational personnel were issued with laptops that have full access to the force's systems, processes and data. But we found that some operational personnel were issued with mobile devices that have only limited access to these systems. As a result, they must go to a police station to complete some tasks. Addressing the limitations of this technology will improve the productivity and efficiency of staff and officers while they are working in their communities. Innovative practice Northumbria Police

The force has developed financial awareness training for its senior leaders The force uses priority-based budgeting to help manage its finances. This approach systematically reviews each of the force’s operational areas to help distribute resources where they are most needed. The process involves annual assessments where budget holders review the demand they face and assess their ability to meet this. This helps identify where savings can be made for reinvestment in other priority areas. To support this process and make sure budget holders have the skills needed to manage their budgets well, the force has developed financial awareness training for its senior leaders. This provides important knowledge about the funding given to the force, how it is distributed throughout the organisation and how everyone can positively contribute by managing their budgets more effectively. The training consists of standalone masterclasses and forms part of level three leadership training for senior leaders. It provides the force with a robust finance performance structure that includes detailed reporting to the office of the police and crime commissioner through the joint independent audit committee. The force also has effective governance processes in place to oversee its spending. High-quality data helps it understand its assets, resources and operations. Overall, we found that the force’s approach to managing its finances was effective and allowed for investment where required to make sure it is capable of operating within its budgets. Northumbria Police

The force monitors its use of force and stop and search through scrutiny from youth panels The force makes effective use of youth panels for the independent external scrutiny of stop and search. In our last PEEL report, we commented on the force’s use of a pupil referral unit for feedback. It has now expanded on this to include a further seven youth panels across the force area. This complements the feedback received from the main scrutiny panel, providing the force with a wider range of views and supporting organisational learning and development. Panel members review records and body-worn video for stop and search and use of force encounters and provide feedback on how officers dealt with the situation. The force uses the findings from this external scrutiny to encourage the fair and effective use of police powers. This includes making changes to its training programme to improve communication skills. Northumbria Police

The force needs to improve its response to calls for service, update the caller about delays and effectively supervise deployment decisions When assessing calls for service, the force uses the THRIVE risk assessment tool to decide on the level of response. In its service level agreement, the force has published target attendance times of 15 minutes for emergency incidents (20 minutes in rural locations) and 1 hour for priority incidents. The force is failing to attend priority incidents within its target time of one hour. While attendance time for emergency incidents has noticeably improved, for priority incidents the improvement has been minimal. In our victim service assessment, we found that in 54 of 71 cases, the force met its published targets. The force told as that in the year to 12 December 2024, 61.1 percent of priority incidents were attended within the target times. In our last PEEL inspection, we found that in the year ending 31 March 2022, the force attended 59 percent of priority incidents within the target times. We found examples of priority incidents, which can involve vulnerability, that required further action and that weren’t being managed effectively due to a lack of governance and oversight. Lincolnshire ent Sussex went Humberside Leicestershire Northamptonshire West orkshire Cambridgeshire West Midlands reater Manchester Merseyside Surrey Suffolk Nottinghamshire Bedfordshire Norfolk Cumbria Cheshire Lancashire South Wales Northumbria South orkshire evon and Cornwall Hampshire Thames Valley Staffordshire North Wales Cleveland Avon and Somerset North orkshire Hertfordshire orset Warwickshire loucestershire Metropolitan Police erbyshire Wiltshire yfed Powys West Mercia Essex urham Proportion of 999 calls answered in under 10 seconds Target 90 of calls should be answered in under 10 seconds We found examples of these incidents being continually superseded by other reported incidents and no resources being dispatched, in some cases for more than 48 hours after the first call was received. In our victim services assessment, we found that there was effective supervision of the deployment of response teams in 8 of 20 cases. Delay, and in some cases repeated delays, in attendance to incidents can cause frustration to callers and reduce the trust and confidence that communities have in the force. In our victim service assessment, we found that 11 of 19 callers were updated about delays in attendance. Northumbria Police

The force doesn’t consistently achieve appropriate outcomes for victims been revised since. British Transport Police and the City of London data is excluded from the England and Wales rate. Total police-recorded crime includes all crime (except fraud). For a full commentary and explanation of crime and outcome types, please see the Home Office statistics. been revised since. Victim-based crimes are defined as all police-recorded crimes where there is a direct victim, such as an individual, an organisation or a corporate body. Between the year ending 30 June 2023 and the year ending 30 June 2024, the proportion of victim-based crimes assigned outcome 14 (evidential difficulties: suspect not identified but the victim declines or is unable to support) by Northumbria Police decreased from 3.3 percent to 2.6 percent. This figure is lower than expected for forces in England and Wales. The force doesn’t always achieve acceptable outcomes for victims of crime. The number of victim-based crimes it solves following an investigation is low. While this position is slowly improving, the force needs to understand the issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. In the year ending 30 June 2024, Northumbria Police recorded 119,987 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 10.8 percent were assigned an ‘offences brought to justice’ outcome. This is within the normal range for forces across England and Wales. The force told us that this outcome rate increased to 12.5 percent for the period from November 2023 to November 2024. In our victim service assessment, we found that the force wasn’t always finalising crimes with the correct outcome. In the cases we examined, 77 of 87 crimes were finalised with the correct outcome. The force scrutinises its performance against outcomes through the monthly meetings of its strategic performance board, chaired by the deputy chief constable. Northumbria Police

The force should make sure investigation plans are created where applicable, with effective supervision to make sure that all investigative opportunities are taken We found that some of the force’s investigations weren’t supervised effectively. This means that investigations weren’t always completed thoroughly, and the force didn’t take some investigative opportunities. The supervision of investigations is inconsistent. In our victim service assessment, we found that 39 of 52 investigations had an investigation plan and that all appropriate investigative opportunities were taken in 75 of 94 cases. There was effective supervision throughout an investigation in 59 of 82 cases. Where investigation plans were recorded, they were followed in 38 of 39 cases. We found that in general, supervisors didn’t give effective advice or guidance through documented plans or reviews of investigations. The force should do more to make sure line managers consistently provide meaningful direction to investigations. This will make sure it carries out thorough investigations and takes all investigative opportunities. Northumbria Police

The force should comply with published national guidance when making disclosures as part of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare’s Law, allows the police to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse. It makes sure that police forces share information appropriately and promptly with domestic abuse victims (or potential victims) about their partner’s (or ex-partner’s) previous abusive offending. The scheme has national guidelines that forces should follow when making disclosures. In our inspection we found that the force wasn’t following these. The guidance says that the primary required method of making a disclosure is face-to-face. If this isn’t possible then alternatives, such as video calling, can be used. As a third option, a telephone meeting may be used on a case-by-case basis. But the force told us that it used the telephone for nearly all the disclosures it made. The force also needs to improve how it monitors and tracks authorised disclosures, particularly those made by teams outside the multi-agency safeguarding hub process. We found examples of unnecessary delays in making disclosures, with no automated process in place to check whether they had happened. Instead, the disclosures are tracked manually using spreadsheets and email reminders. In the year ending 31 March 2024, Northumbria Police made 825 right-to-ask disclosures and 375 right-to-know disclosures. The force acknowledges that it is working outside national guidelines. At the time of our inspection, it was running a pilot exercise in one of its areas using video calling. Northumbria Police

The force needs to make more use of preventative orders to safeguard victims In the year ending 30 September 2024, Northumbria Police recorded the highest number of domestic abuse-related incidents across forces in England and Wales. It recorded 52,316 incidents, which equates to 35.3 domestic abuse-related incidents per 1,000 population. In the year ending 30 September 2024, the force recorded 23,153 repeated domestic abuse-related incidents, equating to 15.6 per 1,000 population. This is higher than expected compared to other forces across England and Wales. Despite this, the force is a low user of Domestic Violence Protection Orders, which are designed to protect victims. In the year ending 30 September 2024, it used Domestic Violence Protection Orders for 1.12 percent of recorded domestic abuse-related crime. In the year ending 30 September 2024, the force recorded 4,415 stalking offences, which equates to 3.0 per 1,000 population. This is higher than the average rate across all forces in England and Wales of 2.2 stalking offences per 1,000 population. In the same period, the force used one interim Stalking Protection Order. Protective measures can be a powerful tool to help keep vulnerable victims safe. Failure to apply for them where appropriate denies victims this opportunity and could put them at risk of harm. The force acknowledges that it needs to do more to support the effective use of protective orders. It has recently introduced a new post of ‘orders sergeant’. This position should improve governance, performance management and central oversight in relation to obtaining orders. Innovative practice Northumbria Police

The force effectively gets feedback from victims to enhance and improve its services to protect vulnerable people The force has a public insight manager, who leads a team of four analysts and six telephone interviewers. This team carries out surveys with victims of crime to understand their experience with the force. The team designs the surveys, collects responses and analyses the data it receives. The force uses these insights to support organisational learning through a range of performance boards and the victim satisfaction working group. The team carries out a survey each month with 50 victims of domestic abuse and prioritises repeat victims. It also carries out surveys with victims of hate crime, antisocial behaviour, stalking and rape. The data gathered is clear and detailed. It helps the force understand issues and trends that may affect the quality of service provided to victims. We saw examples of where the force has changed its training and processes to provide a better level of service because of feedback from victims. The force is looking to expand the capacity of the team and increase its survey options. It has recently started to carry out SMS surveys with victims who use the non-emergency 101 telephone number. Northumbria Police

The force should improve its governance of and approach to managing wanted and outstanding suspects The force has two distinct categories for people suspected of committing crimes: ‘wanted’ and ‘a suspect attached to a crime’. Wanted persons are circulated on the Police National Computer, having met the required criteria. However, suspects attached to a crime have yet to be circulated on the Police National Computer. As at 5 June 2024, the force had circulated 1,379 wanted persons. Of those, 221 had been shown as wanted for more than 36 months. We found that the force’s management, understanding and data relating to suspects attached to a crime wasn’t as clear as for wanted persons. The force can’t draw on accurate information to inform senior leaders about how many suspects attached to a crime there are and how long they have been at large. The force’s data and understanding relating to the numbers of these suspects is unclear and confusing. Individual line managers are trying to manage the position locally through numerous Excel spreadsheets. But the force doesn’t have an overall understanding of the situation. We found examples of some suspects attached to a crime being ‘outstanding’ for more than 12 months. There is limited understanding of the risk level associated with these suspects, and little action is being taken to locate or trace them. This means the force has a high number of suspects yet to be arrested and isn’t managing the potential risk of this. Northumbria Police