Merseyside Police effective at preventing crime, but improvements still required

Merseyside Police is effective at preventing crime, but it must improve its service for the public in a number of key areas, the police inspectorate has said.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Merseyside Police’s performance across eight areas of policing and found the force was good in three areas, adequate in three areas and requires improvement in two areas.

HMICFRS praised the force for listening to and responding well to the local community, with effective two-way communication enabling local priorities to be set and addressed.

However, the inspectorate said that Merseyside Police needs to improve how it safeguards vulnerable people, such as sharing information with partner agencies at the earliest opportunity to protect them from harm. HMICFRS also said the force needs to ensure it has enough trained staff and resources across several areas; this includes its domestic violence disclosure scheme (DVDS) and specialist investigation functions.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said:

“I am pleased with some aspects of the performance of Merseyside Police in reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. The force has faced significant operational challenges since our last inspection, all of which required effective leadership and the ability to flex resources, as well as quick responses to changing situations and level of risk, which it achieved well.

“However, Merseyside Police needs to improve the service it provides in some important areas, including how it safeguards vulnerable people, and it must do more to meet the public’s needs.

“I hope the recent changes to the way the force operates result in improvements that help it better meet the public’s needs. I will be monitoring its progress closely.”