Police and Crime Commissioner praises Gwent Police for improvements to child protection services

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, has praised Gwent Police for improvements it has made to its child protection services.

The latest report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies, Fire & Rescue Service found that Gwent Police has improved its practices in the area of child protection following previous recommendations from inspectors.

It is a follow up to a 2019 report that looked at how well Gwent Police kept children under 18 safe, and which commended the service for a clear commitment to continued improvement.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert, said: “I am extremely proud of the work Gwent Police does every day to safeguard children from abuse, exploitation and harm.

“We are continually working together to ensure that we improve the services that Gwent Police provide and I am reassured that the recommendations from the 2019 report have been taken seriously.

“This latest report confirms that improvements are being made in the right areas, and reaffirms the clear commitment, both from myself and Gwent Police, to protect the vulnerable.

“I am pleased that it picked up on the use of social workers in the force control room and the Early Action Together Program, which were both driven by my office to improve the way Gwent Police safeguards children.

“The report also notes the improvements that have been made in understanding police performance. Again, this has been driven by my office and will ultimately allow us to provide a better service to our residents.

“Of course, we mustn’t be complacent. There are always opportunities to refine and improve services and I will continue to monitor Gwent Police to ensure that further progress is made.”

The original 2019 report praised Gwent Police’s strong partnership working, and for safeguarding the health and wellbeing of staff, but highlighted a number of areas where inspectors felt improvements could be made.

Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Pam Kelly, said: “Our commitment to protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our community remains at the heart of our work and we appreciate that this assurance, and the actions we have taken to improve our work, is recognised by the inspectors. We are constantly working to improve the way we deliver safeguarding and to improve the outcomes for the individuals involved.

“Having made good progress over the year between the initial inspection and the review, we understand that there is more to do and we continue to work with our partners to improve the consistency of our safeguarding to children and young people.”

The full report can be read on the HMICFRS website.