Sussex Police is mostly 'adequate' but force told it needs to improve the quality of its crime investigations

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published its inspection of Sussex Police on Thursday (July 24). The PEEL inspection programme is an assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of all 43 police forces in England and Wales.

The highest possible grade for each category is ‘outstanding’ and the lowest is ‘inadequate’.

The report stated that Sussex Police is ‘good’ or ‘adequate’ in all areas, except investigating crime, where it 'requires improvement' .

Sussex Police was rated as ‘good’ for its work in responding to the public. This is a significant improvement from the ‘inadequate’ grading it received in this area in 2023.

Under the ‘adequate’ grade was: recording data about crime; police powers and public treatment; preventing crime; protecting vulnerable people; managing orders; developing a positive workplace and leadership & force management.

Roy Wilsher, HM inspector of constabulary, wrote: “I am pleased with some aspects of the performance of Sussex Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service. I am satisfied with most other aspects of the force’s performance, but there are areas in which it needs to improve.

“Since our last inspection, the force has made significant efforts to address the concerns and areas for improvement we identified. In particular, it has enhanced the operation of its force contact, command and control department, and has introduced an initial investigations team.

"These improvements are having a positive impact on the service the force provides to the public. To sustain this progress, it will be essential for the force to continue to focus and develop, so it consistently gives its communities a high standard of service.

"However, the force needs to improve the quality of its crime investigations. We found that it doesn’t always pursue relevant and proportionate lines of enquiry, and there is sometimes a lack of investigative supervision. In some long-term serious crime cases, we found that there wasn’t enough momentum and direction.”

Leaders at Sussex Police were pleased to see that the inspection report highlighted ‘many areas of good performance’ – including innovative and promising practice.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “I welcome this report and am proud of the positive changes that have been made, and acknowledged by HMICFRS, since the previous inspection in 2023.

“These ratings put us as one of the stronger performing forces in England and Wales, and one of the most improved over the last two years.

“The inspection is also stricter and more rigorous than before, and so to achieve the same ratings in many areas – particularly with limited investment – is a sign of success and testament to the hard work of our officers and staff across the county.

“As a force, we are very open to feedback and are continuously looking for opportunities to learn and improve. Many of the recommendations made in the report have already been identified through our own internal review process, and improvement plans are well underway.

“We will continue working alongside HMICFRS to accelerate and embed these plans to ensure we are delivering the best possible service for the people of Sussex.”

Sussex Police recognised the areas for improvement – particularly how it investigates crime, to ensure it ‘consistently achieves more acceptable outcomes for victims’.

The inspection determined the force lacks capacity to make sure investigations are progressed in a timely manner and to an appropriate outcome, resulting in low numbers of victim-based crimes being solved.

Chief Constable Shiner added: “We recognise at the time of the report, our charge rate for investigations was below the national average and there was a significant number of live and outstanding investigations, particularly in our Safeguarding Investigations Unit, which was impacting our ability to deliver an effective and efficient service.

“Since then, we have made a start on our long-term plan to improve investigations, with large-scale changes underway to move officers into more specialist teams for adult and child protection, and high-risk domestic and sexual offence investigations.

“Over the last two years, we have increased the number of victim-based crimes with a successful outcome by 51 per cent. We have also seen our charge rate for victim-based crime increase to 6.9% in the year ending June 2025, compared to the 5.3% referenced in the inspection report from the year ending June 2024.

“We have implemented multiple changes in the year since the inspection took place and while I know there is more to do, I am confident these steps are moving us firmly in the right direction.”

The chief said the force remains ‘absolutely committed’ to ‘delivering an outstanding service’ to the people of Sussex – ‘as they rightly expect’.

"Although many improvements have already been made, we know there is still more work to do,” she added.

“We had recognised the need to make changes to our investigation processes and are encouraged by the positive feedback from inspectors on the measures that have been implemented so far.

“We are operating in a challenging financial environment, particularly as one of the lowest funded forces in the country, but I will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure we can effectively manage the demand we face in responding, recording and investigating crime.

“Catching criminals and protecting the public is at the heart of everything we do, and we will continue working and developing as a force to deliver the service our communities deserve.”

The PEEL The programme was introduced in 2014 but the approach has been ‘continuously adapted’.

HMICFRS explained: “We have moved to a more intelligence-led, continual assessment approach, rather than the annual PEEL inspections we used in previous years.

“It isn’t possible to make direct comparisons between the grades awarded in this PEEL inspection and those from the previous cycle of PEEL inspections. This is because we have increased our focus on making sure forces are achieving appropriate outcomes for the public, and in some cases we have changed the aspects of policing we inspect.”

The HMICFRS also inspected how effective a service Sussex Police gives to victims of crime – but it does not make a graded judgement for this area.

Mr Wilsher’s summary added: “In our review of stop and search practices, we found reasonable grounds in the majority of cases. Officers successfully found the item they were looking for in 30 percent of cases. This rate is higher than it is for most other forces, which shows that Sussex Police uses these powers effectively. The force should improve its understanding of use of force incidents by strengthening external scrutiny through an independently chaired panel.

"I am pleased with the way the force works with local communities. It has a proactive approach to tackling anti-social behaviour, and it prioritises those most at risk.

"However, the force needs to improve the way it records crimes when it receives reports of anti-social behaviour personal. Failure to record these crimes may result in victims not receiving the protection and support they need.

"The force manages registered sex offenders well. It makes effective use of Stalking Protection Orders and other ancillary measures to safeguard victims and deter offenders. However, its participation in multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs) needs to improve. This is so it can make sure victims involved in high-risk domestic abuse cases receive prompt support and intervention.

“It is also essential that all first-line leaders complete the force’s Introduction to Leadership programme. At the time of our inspection, fewer than half had done so.

"Given the critical role these leaders play in managing teams, this training is vital. The force is planning changes to its public protection model, and it is reviewing its neighbourhood policing structures.

"We hope these reforms will lead to further improvements to the way the force works and will help it better meet the public’s needs.”

The HMICFRS said it will ‘continue to monitor the force’s progress closely’.