A Welsh police force is not adequately investigating crime, responding to the public or protecting vulnerable people, an inspection has revealed. The inspection found Gwent Police was under "chronic" pressure from a lack of qualified staff, HM Inspector of Constabulary conceded the organisation does well to prevent crime and manage offenders.
A report on the inspection told of how Gwent Police's call handlers "don't answer emergency calls quickly enough," "[don't] give appropriate crime prevention or safety advice," and on many occasions don't carry out proper risk assessments to identify vulnerable callers. It was also said: "Too often, investigations of crime aren’t prompt, thorough or effectively supervised. The force doesn’t yet have a realistic and sustainable plan to make sure it has enough qualified investigators to meet its current or future demand."
The report details a 2021/22 inspection by Wendy Williams of His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. It marked the force as "inadequate" for responding to the public, said it "requires improvement" at investigating crime and protecting vulnerable people and was "adequate" at engaging with and treating the public with fairness and respect, building, supporting and protecting the workforce."
