Essex Police praised in national report on police leadership

Essex Police has been praised for its ‘high-quality service’ in a national report on police leadership. The HMICFRS inspection report on police leadership across all forces (available at https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/peel-police-leadership-2017/)  says:

“Some forces are able to achieve a high-quality service, both in terms of neighbourhood policing and protecting vulnerable people, despite restricted resources. For example, in Essex Police, we found that supervisors were providing good leadership in both areas. We found many examples of the force giving the public a high-quality service, concentrating on preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and not simply reacting to them.”

Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “I note the findings in this report and am pleased to see Essex Police highlighted as a positive example of police leaders showing commitment to improvement. An organisation’s most important asset is its people. It is clear Essex Police is as committed to supporting and developing its people as I am. The force’s Police Staff Leadership Programme, jointly run with Kent Police as part of the two forces Support Services Collaboration, has been identified by the inspectors as a good way of developing and importing talent. The force also runs good examples of career development pathways, particularly in relation to investigators, which allows them to specialise in leadership. What is most heartening is the fact that the report shows that within Essex Police, supervisors are providing good leadership in two key areas – neighbourhood policing and protecting vulnerable people. Inspectors found that the public were given a high quality service, concentrating on preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and not just reacting to it. This is great news and is exactly what the people of Essex want and deserve.”

Commenting on the report, Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: “Today’s report praises the professionalism, responsibility and leadership independent inspectors have seen at all levels in Essex Police. Making sure officers and staff from front-line to back office have the training and skills to excel in their role and their career is a hugely important part of my job: ultimately those skills make people in Essex safer. Policing is more stretched and complex than ever before and this endorsement of what we do help us improve the support and training for hard-working officers, staff and supervisors so they continue to make the right decisions for victims and communities.”