PEEL finds South Wales Police needs better public response

The police force received an 'adequate' rating in areas such as crime investigation, treatment of the public, protecting vulnerable people and police powers.

However, responding to the public 'requires improvement', according to the report.

The auditing responsibility lay upon HM Inspector Wendy Williams until March 31, 2024, with Michelle Skeer now holding responsibility.

Amid achievements and hiccups, South Wales Police was given a good rating for crime prevention and developing a positive workplace.

In 2023, it tackled large-scale disorder in Ely, Cardiff effectively, rebuilding community trust thereafter.

The force has been diligent in protecting women and girls in communal spaces, tackling antisocial behaviour using a multi-agency approach.

A low rate of police resignations shows the force to be a favourable employer, but there needs to be enhancement in the value and involvement felt by every officer.

The force's transformation programme is paving the way for an evolved contact management function to meet future demand.

South Wales Police is effective with the risk assessment and prioritisation of incidents, yet it falls short in promptly attending and answering emergency calls, especially domestic abuse incidents.

This gives victims reasons to doubt police protection, tip-toeing on police trust.

The force's crime identification linked with antisocial behaviour and vulnerable people is inconsistent and ineffective.

Yet, audited criminal investigations were largely well-carried and supervised, with victims receiving appropriate consultations.

Reassuringly, South Wales Police brings a considerably high number of domestic abuse offenders to justice.

However, the force may need re-evaluation in terms of skill allotment, as cases see inexperienced officers often tackling serious and complex crimes.

Areas of improvement are shown in South Wales Police’s protection of children from criminal exploitation and provision of timely Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme information to potential victims in comparison to the previous inspection.

Despite receiving higher-than-average funding compared to England and Wales' other forces, concerns over training plans' meeting by the learning and development capacity and the availability of enough IT staff for support persist.

Being adept at managing existing resources paves the path for future achievements, provided the force focuses on quick emergency responses and streamlined teamwork.

The force’s performance in answering calls in a timely manner urgently needs improvement.

The average response time to ‘priority 2’ calls involving domestic abuse was more than two hours, twice the average for non-domestic abuse related ‘priority 2’ calls.

The force needs to swiftly work on understanding and remedying the delay in reaching domestic abuse victims.

Simultaneously, the force needs to better the identification process of crime and vulnerability linked with incidents that officers do not attend.

South Wales Police may lose significant trust if the delay at the attendance of domestic abuse incidents continues, compromising its commitment to tackle violence against women and girls according to the report.

The report also found that call handlers and missing persons specialists often correctly asses the risk of harm, but lengthy delays were still happening before police were sent out to help.