Key inspection report says new leadership team is driving real progress but improvements needed in investigatory capabilities

Key inspection report says new leadership team is driving real progress at Northamptonshire Police but the Force needs to improve its investigatory capability

Following an inspection visit in January 2026, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has today (Wednesday, June 3) published its concluding report highlighting areas where the Force is showing progress and good practice as well as identifying areas of concern.

In its Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) report, HMICFRS rated the Force as good at exercising legitimacy in its use of powers, including its overall use of stop and search as well as in its drive to reduce disproportionality, areas vital to building trust and confidence in policing.

It has, the report noted, “robust” external scrutiny to ensure transparency and accountability while the Force has developed its training to increase further officers’ awareness around disproportionality.

Several positive areas of progress were identified within the 58-page inspection report including:

• The Force takes positive action to recruit and retain staff and officers that represent the community
• It has invested in the capacity and capability of its neighbourhood policing teams
• It communicates well with diverse communities
• Police safeguard children and vulnerable adults, evidenced by quality service reviews carried out by HMICFRS during their fieldwork
• Significant investment in Professional Standards is helping to raise standards and bolster confidence in challenging inappropriate conduct, due in part to the creation of a confidential “integrity app”.
• Several areas were deemed “innovative practice” including its Prison Intervention Project PIP, developed in collaboration with the Office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, which supports children impacted by the imprisonment of a parent or guardian and the award-winning Op Satin which is designed to address issues of children who have gone missing more than three times.

However, one of the areas assessed - improving investigations - has been downgraded from requires improvement at the last inspection in 2024 to inadequate today which HMICFRS says is now a “cause of concern”.

As of September 2025, only 11.2 per cent of crimes were achieving positive outcomes for victims, albeit that figure has increased slightly since.

HMICFRS has given Northamptonshire Police six months to complete a number of recommendations, including ensuring its investigations are allocated to teams of appropriate capacity so they can be managed effectively as well as improved compliance with VCOP (Victim’s Code of Practice) such as maintaining more effective contact with victims.

The Force is already addressing this through better use of technology and a review of its overall operating model which it is hoped will lead to a better service for victims and witnesses but also manage the ever-increasing and more complex demand coming to the organisation.

The new operational model should be fully implemented by March 2027.

HMICFRS acknowledged the Force had invested heavily in tech and officers routinely have widespread access to mobile technology. Overall digital literacy across the Force has increased since 2024 while the Inspectors also acknowledged that senior leaders were building a positive culture by, among other things, demonstrating “strong approachability”.

Overall call handling has significantly improved, and the Force is meeting national targets for answering 999 and 101 calls. In addition, inspectors said it had shown innovative practice by appointing a persistent caller officer to reduce unnecessary demand.

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said the findings for Northamptonshire Police in some respects mirrored the annual State of Policing report published last autumn with many of the national policing challenges playing out here locally.

He said he was encouraged by HMIC highlighting some of the areas where performance is strong, including workforce well-being and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

He said: “The PEEL report is such an important indicator of our overall progress during the past two years. There is no hiding away from the findings around investigations, but I remain absolutely confident in our vision and strategy to drive up performance in an area which has been challenging for many police forces in recent years.

“Not too long ago, we had local police stations closed, we had reduced both neighbourhood policing and our cohort of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), but these are now being reversed.

“There have been other factors too in the background - a fast-growing population, greater challenges in complexity of what police officers are dealing with, including mental health, and real challenges within the criminal justice system.

“Set against that context, there are many positives to be drawn from this report which is really important in terms of us building public trust and confidence.

“I am so proud to lead Northamptonshire Police, a Force whose incredible officers and staff work daily to achieve my ambition to make our county the safest in the UK. The learning taken from this report is vital in achieving that vision.”