HMICS and HMICFRS - PEEL: Police efficiency, legitimacy and leadership

As part of its annual inspections of all police forces in England and Wales, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) assesses police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL). HMICFRS and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) are independent inspectorates which have a legal responsibility, under section 63 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, to inspect British Transport Police (BTP). BTP is the police force responsible for policing the railways of England, Wales and Scotland. The force therefore transcends local and national borders. In October 2016, HMICFRS and HMICS were commissioned by the Under Secretary of State for Transport to inspect the efficiency, legitimacy and leadership of BTP using the methodology set out in HMICFRS’s spring 2016 PEEL all-force inspection programme. In addition, in December 2016, the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill3 was laid before the Scottish Parliament. The bill, if enacted, would enable the transfer of Scottish operations of BTP and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) to Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. HMICS has used this joint inspection to identify any high-level matters of importance arising from the proposed transfer. HMICS will publish its findings in a separate report later in 2017.