Nottinghamshire Police has been put into special measures by a watchdog over concerns on how it runs investigations and handles victims.
The extra monitoring was announced on Monday (March 11) by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
Notts Police must now produce an improvement plan and has been set a deadline of September to make a series of changes.
The inspectorate says the force needs to improve “how it manages and carries out effective investigations to make sure that victims get the support they need”.
The second major ’cause for concern’ relates to how the force records investigations and what systems are in place to monitor performance.
Some of the things inspectors found included a backlog of 609 domestic abuse incidents which were still waiting for risk assessments so information can be shared with other agencies.
Some investigations had also been closed without victims being told.
Notts Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said she “recognised the serious nature of the findings”.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: “Nottinghamshire Police has been asked to urgently produce an improvement plan and will meet regularly with our inspectors. We will work closely with the force to monitor its progress against these important and necessary changes.”
HMICFRS said more detail about Nottinghamshire Police’s performance would be included in its next inspection report, which is due to be published later this year.
Ms Meynell added: “All of the initial recommendations that relate to our investigations and support for victims have been completed.”
Work was already ongoing on improving how the force monitors performance, she added.
She said: “I fully acknowledge that our force has work to do to achieve our vision of being an outstanding force that we can all be proud of.
“I am fully committed to working with HMICFRS and we will work tirelessly to address their concerns and deliver the best possible service for the people of Nottinghamshire.”
