Taking investigations back-to-basics to get it right first time

Our standards of investigation and the service we provided to victims of crime was identified by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as an area of concern in 2022.

Put simply we were not investigating crimes as well as we wanted to, and victims of crime were not, typically, receiving the service they deserved.

Our solution has been to apply a ‘back-to-basics’ approach, getting investigation plans right first time. It has taken a multi-faceted approach to deliver improvement in this area, given the very high number of young in-service officers the force has, making us one of the least experienced police forces in the country.

We began by putting every sergeant and more than 800 constables through an investigation ‘masterclass’. The masterclasses were small, informal groups, allowing for group discussion and open and frank conversations to help debunk myths and misunderstandings and allow for collaborative learning. By sharing best practice and setting clear expectations, the masterclasses provided invaluable training to officers in how to deliver the best investigations, and was backed-up with support material, including the development of an app on every officers’ phone, with a reminder of the key investigative steps.

In addition, we’ve built a dedicated area on our intranet, which hosts all of the best practice and guidance officers need to deliver the highest quality investigations.

Yet given the inexperience of many of our officers, and by extension, our supervisors, we invested in a cohort of ‘investigative quality’ sergeants. These roles, staffed by our most specialist supervisors, are dedicated to reviewing investigation plans and providing advice and support where needed to every local policing team. This initiative has helped the force to deliver 3,700 more arrests (a 31 per cent increase), and over the last three months (to March 2024) one of the highest positive outcome rates in the country, rising from 10 per cent in 2022 to 18.5 per cent.

To ensure an ongoing level of scrutiny, Investigation Quality Support Audits (IQSAs) have been introduced. A small team are now visiting local policing teams for short periods to review performance, identify and address any trends, and offer advice to officers on how to approach investigations. 

Underpinning the investment in training, scrutiny and supervision, we have strengthened our performance culture through the better use of data. All officers and senior staff have access to a tool which provides a visual ‘snapshot’ of investigation activity, team and individual effectiveness, outcome rates, and investigation standards.

The improvements to our investigative quality were underpinned by our move back to a local policing approach in June 2022, increasing our connection with our communities. This back-to-basics approach has also seen us maintain our response times to Grade One (emergency) calls, despite facing 10,000 more emergency incidents than when we entered enhanced monitoring.

It is a significant step forward for us, but not the last step, and we continue to invest in training, scrutiny and increased supervision to ensure that our communities get the service they deserve as we seek to become an outstanding local police service.