PEEL spotlight report- How effectively do the police record crime
I am writing to you in response to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection into how effectively the police record crime, published in August 2025.
The report makes three recommendations for all police forces. I welcome it’s clear assessment of the progress that policing has made in improving the accuracy and consistency of crime recording, as well as its continued focus on those areas that still need attention. Accurate crime recording is essential for public confidence. It ensures victims receive the support they are entitled to and enables policing resources to be allocated based on reliable data.
As the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, I am committed to ensuring that victims of crime receive a timely, accurate and victim focussed service. While the inspection highlights national challenges, I am encouraged that our most recent 2023–25 PEEL inspection reflects positive progress locally in West Mercia. Our inspection found that West Mercia Police is good at recording crime whilst highlighting some areas for continuous improvement. Below I provide my assessment against some of the key issues set out in the report alongside activity from West Mercia Police where relevant.
Crime Recording Accuracy and Oversight
HMICFRS highlighted that crime recording has improved nationally with 94.8% of all crime recorded, 93.6% for violent crime and 95.9% of sexual offences. In the most recent PEEL inspection, West Mercia performed comparatively at 94.3%, 93.4% and 92.4% respectively.
West Mercia Police maintains a dedicated crime recording unit, staffed by personnel trained in the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) and Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR), which plays a central role in ensuring consistency and accuracy in crime data.
To uphold high standards, the Force Crime Registrar (FCR) leads a continuous audit programme focused on categories at higher risk of under-recording, such as violent offences, harassment, stalking, and less serious assaults. This is complemented by regular dip sampling and a structured training programme that includes crime data integrity inputs for student officers, mandatory e-learning modules on crime recording and anti-social behaviour, and face-to-face guidance for Inspectors and Sergeants. Training days are delivered across all Local Policing Areas, supported by weekly updates with the investigation quality team and monthly meetings with the Crime Bureau manager and Designated Decision Makers.
To support frontline staff, the force has introduced a crime recording toolkit offering practical guidance aligned with NCRS and HOCR, promoting consistent application of standards across operational teams.
Through my oversight, I will continue to monitor these metrics and require clear reporting to demonstrate sustained improvement in timeliness and accuracy.
Investigative standards and Supervision
The report highlights the importance of effective supervision in ensuring accurate crime recording. Through my formal Assurance and Accountability process, I regularly challenge the Chief Constable on the effectiveness of supervision across several operational areas.
The most recent PEEL inspection highlighted improved leadership focus on investigation quality, which has been driven by increased scrutiny of investigation planning and supervisory oversight. The force has placed significant emphasis on investigation plans and ensuring effective supervision of reasonable lines of enquiry.
As part of this approach, Investigation Quality Sergeants have been appointed to every Local Policing Area to quality assure investigations and support consistent standards across the force. However, I acknowledge that longstanding issues such as delays in progressing investigations and variation in supervisory oversight persist.
Victim focus and data quality
Supporting victims and witnesses remains central to my commissionership and forms a key element of my Safer Communities Plan. I fund a range of services to support victims of crime, including commissioned services for domestic abuse, sexual violence and children affected by exploitation. To ensure these services are responsive and victim focussed, I have introduced a Lived Experience Panel within my office. This panel ensure that the voices of victims directly shape service design and evaluation.
Accurate crime recording underpins effective victim care and case management. HMICFRS acknowledged in the West Mercia PEEL inspection that the force’s crime recording is of a good standard in ensuring victims receive an appropriate level of service. However, the inspection also identified the need to improve how vulnerability information is recorded on logs, to ensure officers and staff fully understand victims’ needs when responding to incidents.
In response, West Mercia Police continues to raise awareness and understanding across the 14 strands of vulnerability through targeted training and continuing professional development. The force has also refreshed its crime allocation policy to ensure that decisions made at the point of initial recording are both appropriate and victim focused.
As Police and Crime Commissioner, I will continue to scrutinise these areas to ensure that crime recording practices support effective victim care and reflect the complexity of vulnerability in frontline policing.
Summary
This inspection rightly challenges policing to do better for victims and to ensure crime recording standards are consistently high. The HMICFRS findings underline the importance of accurate data as the foundation for effective investigations and victim care. Our most recent PEEL inspection affirms the progress that has been made in West Mercia, particularly in crime recording accuracy, investigative supervision, and leadership focus.
Through my role I will continue to monitor and support this improvement, holding the Chief Constable to account where needed, and ensuring that the public can have confidence in the integrity of the service they receive.