Cheshire Constabulary praised in national activism and impartiality report

Cheshire Constabulary has been praised for its good practice in a number of areas following a national inspection into activism and impartiality in policing.

In September 2023, the then Home Secretary commissioned His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect the extent to which police involvement in politically contested matters may be having an impact on operational policing, by influencing policing policy, priorities and practice.

They explored how the police deal with politicised and contested matters and examined whether forces allow politics or activism to unduly influence them.

The inspection took place at 12 police forces in England and Wales, including Cheshire.

The full report was published on Tuesday 10 September can be viewed on the HMICFRS website.

Throughout the report there are several references to the positive practice taking place in Cheshire, including the below:

Forces have effective governance of their communications with the public

“Cheshire Constabulary had a traffic light system for officers and staff to assess whether it was appropriate for them to post a comment themselves or whether they needed the approval or advice of the communications department.”

Forces can overcome gaps in advisory group representation

“Forces often find it challenging to recruit young people to external advisory groups. Cheshire Constabulary told us it has responded to that challenge by engaging with the Cheshire Youth Commission to gain insight into the impact of stop and search on local young people.”

Terms of reference (TOR) for advisory groups are often unclear

“We found a good example of clear TOR and governance across external advisory groups in Cheshire Constabulary. The force uses a legitimacy framework to map across and bring the various groups together at a strategic level. Therefore, there is a clear route to raise or escalate issues when needed and gather good practice.”

There are some examples of forces going beyond the nine protected characteristics, but with a rationale or justification for doing so

“Several forces, including Cheshire Constabulary, went beyond their strict obligations. They considered how the cost of living and financial hardship may have affected their officers and staff. These factors were considered when the forces made decisions about where to post them, for example.”

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said:

“It’s very pleasing to see the Constabulary highlighted in this report for good practice in a number of areas - this is testament to all the hard work going on across the Force.

“It is vitally important that in taking operational decisions we always remain independent to keep the public safe, without any undue influence, and this report supports that view.

“There are also a number of recommendations for all forces which we will now begin working on in order to keep Cheshire even safer.”