“The latest report into Staffordshire Police’s performance has today (8 July) been published by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
“The report, published under the Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) programme, shows an improving picture in the prevention of crime, safeguarding of vulnerable people and neighbourhood policing and recognises strengths in digital transformation, financial planning and stop & search quality. I am particularly pleased that outcomes for victims continues to improve.
“However the report raises concerns about how the force responds to the public particularly in call handling and attendance times and highlights challenges in leadership and force management, investigating crime and managing fraud.
“I would like to thank His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services for their ongoing work in helping me hold the Chief Constable to account on behalf of our communities. I would also like to thank all officers and staff at Staffordshire Police for their continued dedication and hard work.
“The findings of this inspection report do not come as a surprise to me. It is good to see investment has had a positive impact but given the challenges faced by Staffordshire Police it was always going to be difficult to sustain the pace of improvement reported in the previous PEEL inspection two years ago.
“Many of the issues highlighted reflect those identified during the scrutiny activity undertaken by my office and raised by me during my regular meetings with the force’s senior leadership team. In recent months I have seen evidence that the contact centre are answering 999 and 101 calls more promptly and that the force are getting to incidents more quickly. It is therefore disappointing that HMICFRS have deemed the force’s response to the public as inadequate although I recognise that the inspectors are looking for sustained improvement and pace in addressing concerns that have featured in their previous reports.
“A key part of my role is holding the Chief Constable to account. With this in mind I have invited the Acting Chief Constable to an extraordinary police public performance meeting to consider the PEEL findings, the challenges faced by the force and the action they are taking to implement the report’s recommendations.
“Members of the public deserve a high-quality service, and I will continue to maintain pressure to ensure the force is working at pace to make the necessary improvements.”
The extraordinary police public performance meeting will be held on Wednesday 15th July at 14:00 and will be webcast live – Extraordinary Public Performance Meeting – PEEL 25-27 – Wednesday 15 July 2026, 2:00pm – Staffordshire County Webcasting