PCC Welcomes Crime Data Integrity Report

9fed Medi 2014

Published today by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the Crime Data Integrity report follows an inspection into the way Gwent Police and the other 42 Forces in England and Wales record crime and to what extent that information can be trusted by the public.
 
The inspection found that chief officers in Gwent Police had demonstrated strong leadership on ethical crime recording and that there is clearly a culture among officers and staff within the force to secure crime data accuracy. The report also highlights how the internal review into crime recording instigated by Gwent PCC Ian Johnston in 2013 helped raise awareness about how performance in crime recording can be improved. The inspection did not find any evidence of performance pressures leading to failures in crime recording, whether under-recording or misclassification of crimes.
 
Welcoming the report, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Ian Johnston, said: "A significant amount of work has been undertaken by the Force in respect of ethical crime recording which has been positively recognised in this inspection. I am reassured by this report and I believe the public can have full confidence in the strong direction the Force is taking where crime recording is concerned.
  
Other Police Forces have followed Gwent's lead in carrying out in-house inspections of their crime recording practices and it is interesting to note that 29 out of 43 Police Forces in England and Wales are now showing an increase in recorded crime. I have always maintained that I am more concerned about the quality of service the public receive than numerical targets and it was pleasing to see our work around providing a victim-centred approach to policing being highlighted by HMIC.
  
The Chief Constable has made it perfectly clear to everyone in the Force that ethical and accurate crime recording is essential and the staff and officers fully understand the expected standards of behaviour and conduct expected of them with regards to crime recording." 
  
The report also highlights areas for improvement which have been welcomed by the Commissioner: "The Force has been working hard to ensure crimes are recorded in accordance with the guidelines but there are areas we can still improve upon," said Mr Johnston.
  
"These reports are useful in highlighting those areas and you can rest assured that I will be working closely with the Chief Constable to address them."
  
The reports are available on the crime data integrity section of the HMIC website