More must be done by Thames Valley Police to protect the vulnerable, says inspectorate

An inspection of Thames Valley Police has shown that the force must improve how it handles vulnerable people.

An inspection by HMICFRS (His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) looks at police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) for 2023 up until next due inspection in 2025.

The single area that scored a rating of ‘inadequate’ was around the protection of vulnerable people.

TVP has nine multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASH). Officers are trained to recognise when a person may be vulnerable; these may be children, the elderly, people suffering mental health problems or victims of domestic abuse.

A previous inspection found that the force ‘didn’t fully understand the amount of time its officers were spending’ looking after people detained under the Mental Health Act.

It now ‘has a better understanding; of this demand and the aim to get someone suffering a mental health crisis support from the right agency.

TVP has invested in 10 dedicated mental health support officers, whose role is to build up partnerships with professionals.

But there are a number of problems still remaining, the inspectorate found.

In some cases, agencies need to discuss the details of individual cases to agree the best strategy to protect the person from harm.

In cases involving children, these ‘should be held as soon as possible’ – generally within 24 hours.

Despite the force’s objective to always hold these within 72 hours, the inspectors found that strategy discussions concerning children were delayed beyond this.

It found in one MASH that 28 strategy discussions were delayed beyond 72 hours, seven of which were at least two weeks old.

Some risk assessments weren’t submitted promptly, and inspectors found examples where they had been outstanding for some weeks.

Inspectors also found that some of the MASH staffing levels ‘weren’t sufficient’ to deal with demand.

Referrals that need to be shared with partners ‘aren’t always being shared in a timely way.’

This means that the support vulnerable people need is delayed. In one case, a vulnerable adult hadn’t been assessed for six weeks.

‘Large backlogs’ mean staff aren't getting all the information to determine the level of risk and appropriate level of support.

Staff reported feeling ‘overwhelmed’ with the pressure of having to manage the burden of risk daily.

They were ‘unaware’ of any plan to improve this situation. This added to the levels of stress and anxiety, ‘with the associated risk of ill health or loss of valuable staff.’

“We immediately raised our concerns about the safeguarding structure and processes with the force. It accepted that there was a need for urgent action,” reads the PEEL report.

Inspector Roy Wilsher wrote:

“[TVP] needs to make sure it has effective and consistent processes in place to protect vulnerable victims and share information promptly with other safeguarding agencies.

“In view of these findings, I have been in regular contact with the chief constable, as I do not underestimate how much improvement is needed.”

HMICFRS recommended that within three months, TVP should amp up its training offering to all officers attending child and adult strategy discussions.

Chief Constable Jason Hogg said:

“We take safeguarding extremely seriously and have been working closely with HMICFRS since their inspection to make sure we have rigorous processes in place to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

“We have already made significant improvements and are confident our new approach is making a difference.”