Julia Mulligan welcomes ‘good’ rating

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) were looking at ‘legitimacy’ as part of their overall PEEL assessment, having recently looked at ‘efficiency’.

Julia Mulligan, in response to the report, said “I am pleased to see another ‘good’ report from HMICFRS, which is of course welcome news.  There were a number of areas highlighted for improvement, many of which I have been raising with the Chief Constable for some time now, and I am keen to see improvements as soon as possible.

“The use of Stop and Search continues to raise questions, and I agree more needs to be done to improve how North Yorkshire Police engages with diverse people and communities via Independent Advisory Groups.

“Customer service is a priority within the police and crime plan, and clearly improvements can be made within the complaints department to ensure members of the public, witnesses and the workforce receive more regular and more meaningful updates.  This reaffirms my intention to take on as much responsibility for police complaints as possible, putting customer service at the heart of any new team.

“Notwithstanding the concerns set out in HMICFRS’s report, I have no doubt North Yorkshire Police are working hard to improve the diversity of our workforce and areas of business like Stop and Search and Independent Advisory Groups.  Given that hard work, and a clear willingness to improve, I expect to see positive change in the short term.

“Whilst the inspection has given North Yorkshire Police a ‘good’, I will now consider whether an Ethics Board might help the Chief Constable and I will ensure we see improvements sooner rather than later”