‘Serious concern’ raised about overworked sex offender managers in Northamptonshire
Children in Northamptonshire are being put at risk as officers tasked with managing sex offenders are “significantly under-resourced and over-worked”, an inspection has found.
Despite good work by individual officers, poor handling of registered sex offenders and inaccurate risk assessments by Northamptonshire Police are leaving children in danger, according to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
These failings appear to be due to soaring demand as case workers are being tasked with far more work than allowed under national guidelines, and call handlers are downgrading crimes involving children to ease pressure on response teams.
The force claimed immediate steps have been taken to address HMICFRS’s findings.
HM inspector Zoë Billingham said “areas of serious concern” had emerged despite the force’s clear commitment to keeping children safe from harm.
“The force’s management of registered sex offenders was particularly troubling. At the time of the inspection, the force’s specialist team was significantly under-resourced and over-worked,” she added.
“Police officers were expected to manage caseloads well above nationally-approved guidelines.
“Although the force attends the highest priority cases in good time, we were disappointed to find that call handlers often downgraded crimes involving children – some as serious as domestic abuse – to ease demand on their response teams. A risk-based approach should prioritise help for those who need it most, so the most vulnerable can be safeguarded in hours, not days.”
The inspection report, published on Thursday (July 26), found Northamptonshire Police has invested in safeguarding training for officers and staff as part of its commitment to protecting children.
The force has also developed an effective system for referring children to the multi-agency safeguarding hub, and the work of its Responding to Incidents of Sexual Exploitation team was praised as “innovative and effective”.
However, 34 of the 81 cases examined by HMICFRS where children were at risk were found to be ‘inadequate’.
Further failings were identified in the management of sexual offenders, with some addresses not flagged on the force’s STORM command and control system.
Officers were also managing around 80 higher-risk offenders each – eight times the number recommended under national guidelines.
At the time of the inspection, HMICFRS found 279 mandatory visits to offenders had yet to be completed.
Investigations were also being delayed due to significant backlogs of electronic devices awaiting examination within the high-tech crime unit, and calls were being downgraded on the basis of demand management rather than risk mitigation.
Freedom of Information data released in March revealed ten registered sex offenders have gone missing in Northamptonshire over the last ten years.
These offenders had been convicted of crimes including sexual assault, attempted rape of an under-13-year-old and rape.
Since the inspection was conducted Northamptonshire Police has reviewed its management of sexual offenders and has expanded its team responsible for this area.
Training on the violent and sex offender register has also been implemented and further sessions are scheduled to be held this summer.
Chief Constable Simon Edens said: “We fully accept these findings, many of which the force had already identified.
“Work is well underway to address each of the report’s recommendations.
“We are creating a culture where the voice of the child is at the centre of all we do, and giving our officers the tools they need to better protect and safeguard children.”