Leicestershire Police in top tier of performance in new scheme

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has this week introduced a new policing performance system in England and Wales where Leicestershire Police has been placed in the top tier for performance.

The policing inspectorate has assigned these performance levels to all forces as part of a drive to support improvements across policing and increase public confidence and accountability.

The tiers range from Level One (highest) to Level Four (special measures) for the most significant performance issues. The policing performance system aims to strengthen how force performance is assessed and provide earlier support when improvements are needed.

The new system was announced in the police reform white paper and will see forces made accountable to the Home Secretary for performance.

Ministers and the inspectorate will also have new powers to intervene directly in failing forces. If there are performance concerns, such as poor police response times or victims not receiving the service they deserve, the Home Secretary, through the College of Policing, will send in experts from across policing to help them improve.

Forces have also been set targets on neighbourhood policing levels, 999 response times and incident response times through the new police performance framework.

T/Chief Constable David Sandall said: “We do want to thank all our partners who continue to support us in our collective ambition to have a safe and thriving Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and thank all those people who continue to support us in a positive way.

“From those that step forward to support their local officer, those that volunteer to support their local police, to those that highlight the good work and service regularly seen and experienced, to those that feedback on our approach and those that help problem solve and make a positive difference in so many different ways in their local area.

“This Tier 1 placing is a testament to the hard work of all the officers and staff who work for Leicestershire Police, responding every single day to emergencies, saving lives and continuing to reduce crime and solve more crime.

“However, we are not complacent. I continue to stress that our current financial landscape is extremely challenging. 

“The force has managed to maintain the delivery of the service whilst managing the poor funding context, further reductions in resources, service and facing extremely demanding and challenging circumstances, with increased policing of protest activity, increasingly high levels of demand and sentencing act changes meaning more criminals released from prison earlier.

“This is a credit to the good people who work here, officers, staff, PCSOs and volunteers who strive every day to keep you safe and to do a good job for the public, and this is a positive reflection on the collective work with partners and local communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews welcomed the news, saying: “I hope that residents and businesses are reassured to see Leicestershire Police recognised in the top tier under the new performance system.

“The real test though will be maintaining those standards and continuing to improve the service residents receive, particularly in the current challenging financial circumstances.

“This grading is a credit to the commitment, dedication, hard work and professionalism of our police officers and staff. 

We are all aware however that there is no room for complacency.

“My priority remains preventing crime, rebuilding community policing and seeing offenders brought to justice to keep people, families, businesses and communities safe.”

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Leicestershire Police News - Published: 11:46 17/07/2026