Special police unit is 'inadequate' at tackling the work of organised crime gangs

A crime task force set up to co-ordinate the region’s response to serious organised crime has been rated inadequate by inspectors.

The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), a collaboration between five police forces in the East Midlands – including Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire – was said to be too focused on tackling firearms and drugs crime rather than addressing more modern threats including human trafficking.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) assessed the service during a recent effectiveness inspection carried out last spring.

As well as the inadequate rating given to EMSOU as a whole, it also separately rated Northamptonshire Police as being ‘adequate’ at tackling serious organised crime.

EMSOU is funded by the five police forces – Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire – as well as the Home Office.

Its aim is to disrupt organised crime across the entire region but HMICFRS said that it was not doing this effectively. It cited a lack of undercover operations, difficulties with bringing together the ways in which the different forces operated, and too much focus on traditional organised crime activities.

Unit only monitoring 16 organised gang threats

The report noted that although EMSOU was one of the biggest regional organised crime units, it was monitoring only 16 serious organised crime threats – one of the lowest numbers in the country.

Inspectors also found that officers were slow to update intelligence systems.

They were also concerned that a three-year funding arrangement had not been agreed by chief constables meaning the unit was facing uncertainty in its funding model.

Inspectors also provide separate levels for each force’s approach to organised crime. Northamptonshire was rated as ‘adequate’ with the report stating that the force needed to make better use of financial investigators to disrupt serious and organised crime.

‘Not a badge we wish to wear longer than is necessary’

Regional Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Mayo said: “Innovating together to protect the people of the East Midlands from the most serious and violent criminals is at the heart of everything we do at EMSOU.

“We welcome the scrutiny afforded by the HMICFRS and, taking into consideration the recommendations of this most recent inspection, we continue to work with our five constituent forces to ensure we nurture the most efficient and effective collaboration in the fight against serious and organised crime.

“Being found ‘inadequate’ at tackling serious and organised crime is of course not a badge we wish to wear any longer than is necessary, as it is not reflective of the high standard of work that our officers and staff deliver, rather a comment on the way we are funded and resourced.

“The inspection was undertaken in spring, last year, and since then we have made significant in-roads in resolving many of the recommendations contained in the subsequent report, by reviewing our various collaboration agreements and funding model.

‘We are committed to working ti provide the best possible service’

A statement from Deputy Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Ivan Balhatchet, said: “We’re committed to working with our regional colleagues to provide the best possible service to the people we serve. Working together allows us to share expertise and develop specialist skills that allow us to investigate those involved in some of our most complex crime types.

“It’s been two years since His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) last inspected our serious and organised crime function (SOC) and in that time we have made great strides in how we pursue those involved in this activity.

“Tackling SOC is one of our Matters of Priorities and we have officers and staff dedicated to preventing crime, assessing risk, pursuing offenders and protecting vulnerable victims who are often manipulated by criminal gangs involved in offences such as modern slavery, illegal immigration crime, fraud and county lines drugs dealing.

“We will continue to work within Northamptonshire and with regional colleagues to fight serious and organised crime and protect people affected by it.”