Devon and Cornwall Police officially removed from enhanced monitoring by HMICFRS

Devon and Cornwall Police has today welcomed the announcement by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that the Force has officially been discharged from the Inspectorate’s enhanced phase of monitoring known as Engage.

In a letter from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke to Chief Constable James Vaughan and PCC Alison Hernandez, he acknowledged that the Force continues to make good progress and is reassured by the plans that the Force has in place to continue making improvements.

Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “I am pleased that HMICFRS has removed the Force from its enhanced phase of monitoring and has recognised the significant improvements the Force has made. This is testament to the hard work of officers and staff right across the Force who have worked together to deliver a sustainably improved service for our communities.

“Getting to this point has not been easy. The concerns raised by HMICFRS were serious and rightly deserved immediate and sustained actions.

“We will not be complacent, and we recognise that we still have work to do in crime recording and our investigation standards to ensure that more offenders are brought to justice and victims receive the service they rightly deserve.”

The Force was moved in to the Engage phase of monitoring which provides additional scrutiny on behalf of the public by HMICFRS in October 2022. It identified three key areas where the Force needed to make clear and sustained improvements – the management of violent and sexual offenders (MOSOVO); the Force’s ability to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and how crime is recorded. Another area of concern – investigating crime - was added as a cause of concern in HMICFRS’s 2024 inspection.

The Force was formally discharged from concerns regarding the management of MOSOVO in January 2023 ensuring that sex offenders are managed effectively and in line with national guidance. The Inspectorate also discharged the Force from concerns around contact (answering of emergency and non-emergency calls) in September 2024 and acknowledges that the Force has continued to improve its year-to-date 101 abandonment rate.

Today, HMICFRS discharged the Force from the enhanced monitoring phase however, crime recording and investigation standards remain a cause for concern, and the inspectorate will continue to assess the Force’s progress against these areas. For crime recording, HMICFRS recognised the significant improvements the Force has made and found that officers understood the principles of crime recording better, which has helped improve the service they give to victims. For investigation standards, the Inspectorate has acknowledged the increased number of investigation plans and supervisory reviews.

The Inspectorate also recognised the introduction of new tools to help improve the service the Force offers to victims and the introduction of an Investigation Academy to help further develop the skills of investigators.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “This is good news, and a recognition of the hard work and commitment made by police officers and staff under the strong and experienced leadership of Chief Constable James Vaughan.  

“This does not mean the force can afford to be complacent and I look forward to working with Devon & Cornwall Police over the coming months and years to continue to drive improvements.”