Gwent Police branded ‘inadequate’ over speed at which it answers 999 calls

Gwent Police is ‘inadequate’ when it comes to the speed at which it answers 999 calls and attends incidents, inspectors have said.

In its report, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue (HMICFRS) also criticised the force for “too often” failing to give appropriate crime prevention or safety advice to callers.

It also said vulnerable callers and repeat callers were not always identified.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said she was “satisfied with some aspects of the performance of Gwent Police in keeping people safe and reducing crime” but added: “There are areas where the force needs to improve.

“In particular, call handlers don’t answer emergency calls quickly enough and on many occasions, they don’t carry out thorough risk assessments when crime and incidents are reported to the control room.”

She continued: “Too often, the force doesn’t meet its own timeframes for attending incidents and doesn’t give appropriate crime prevention or safety advice to callers who are waiting for officers to arrive. This means that evidence gathering opportunities may be lost and investigations compromised.

“Victims aren’t always informed of delays and so their expectations aren’t always met. I am concerned that this may cause victims to lose confidence and disengage from the process.”

She added: “We will continue to monitor the force’s progress as it addresses our concerns.”

Gwent Police Chief Constable Pam Kelly said work was being done to make improvements.

CC Kelly said: “We acknowledge that there are matters that we need to improve upon, and coupled with investment in new technology in our purpose built control room, our improvement programme is already underway.”

Gwent Police said its response times have already improved since the inspection thanks to its improvement programme, which it says has seen the force regularly hit the national target of ten seconds.

The report did praise Gwent Police for its crime prevention and antisocial behaviour work, as well as its managing of offenders and suspects and its modern day slavery work.

CC Kelly continued: “I am pleased that HMICFRS has identified that we are good at preventing crime and antisocial behaviour and that we have a good understanding of the issues our communities face. 

“Our problem-solving approach through initiatives such as We Don’t Buy Crime and Safer Streets are also positively acknowledged.”

CC Kelly also highlighted the force having “one of the highest new joiner rates in the country”.

She added: “In the current climate of scrutiny over officer standards of behaviour, we’re heartened that inspectors acknowledged active leadership to promote strong ethical standards and acceptable behaviour, including the importance of reporting misconduct within the force.”