Suffolk Police told to improve handling of domestic abuse

Suffolk Police has been told it must improve across numerous areas - including its handling of domestic abuse cases.

The force was inspected by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), with a police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) report.

It found there was a lack of progress in how the force managed levels of risk in domestic abuse cases; concluded it was inadequate at safeguarding children and adults and providing a safe custody environment. Leadership, treatment of the public and the management of fraud also required improvement.

Suffolk's Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore said: "I know the chief constable will use this inspection to focus attention on those areas that need improvement."

The PEEL report said the inspector had concerns about how the constabulary was keeping victims of domestic abuse safe, and said "the constabulary doesn't make prompt safeguarding risk assessment and information disclosures."

It also concluded the force didn't have a process in place to trigger a case as "high risk" when multiple calls were made.

High risk cases were reviewed by detectives but the inspection found that these had a high rate of being downgraded which it also found "concerning".

In the year to 31 January 2026, 616 cases of domestic abuse were rated as high risk but 41% of these were later downgraded.

The report said: "The constabulary hasn't scrutinised this data to understand if these downgrades are appropriate."

A downgrade could mean it was passed to a less qualified officer - the inspector found "domestic abuse cases that had been inappropriately downgraded from high risk and then passed to "non-accredited investigators" who may not have the training to adequately progress them."

Concerns were also raised about a backlog in the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Claire's Law, where people can ask for information about their partner.

Suffolk Police said it had since cleared the backlog.

Inspectors said they saw instances during custody handovers where "risk information was missed".

They also concluded 12-hour shift patterns meant a reduced capacity for safe handovers.

Suffolk Police said it was "reviewing its current processes and developing changes" around risk management".

Leadership at the force was highlighted as an area that "requires improvement".

The report said that often leaders were held to account "effectively" but there were some instances of "poor behaviour from frontline leaders."

Inspectors said: "Officer and staff networks told us that some female members of the workforce had experienced unequal treatment, such as being given mundane duties, and concerns they raised weren't always dealt with appropriately."

Recording of incidents where force was used was also criticised.

Inspectors said: "The officers told us they weren't always recording their use of force and that the constabulary's recording system was difficult to use."

HMICFRS found Suffolk Police "likely under-recorded its use of force by 5,909 incidents."

It has been told it required improvement at using its powers "fairly, appropriately and with justification".

On fraud, the report highlighted that "investigators weren't adequately trained to investigate fraud" and "that victims of fraud weren't always given adequate advice on safeguarding and protecting themselves from fraud".

There was praise for how the force stops crime happening, particularly in tackling anti-social behaviour.

The report said Suffolk "has one of the lowest levels of antisocial behaviour incidents in England".

It also said that the constabulary educated children about the dangers of knife crime, with some innovative projects like using virtual reality headsets.

Inspectors said the force communicated well with its diverse communities and had "tailored communications" for people who wouldn't normally have contact with police.

HMICFRS found the force's record of investigating crime, responding to the public and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce was "adequate".

Passmore said: "Overall this is a good report and I would like to thank all officers and staff, and all our volunteers, for their continued commitment to keeping us all safe.

"I know the chief constable will use this inspection to focus attention on those areas that need improvement and I look forward to working with him to build on, and improve, the level of service Suffolk receives from the constabulary."

Chief Constable Mark Webster said: "We welcome the feedback from HMICFRS and are committed to acting on it. I

"Inspections provide an important opportunity to identify where we can improve and ultimately deliver a better service to the public."

He said the report reflected the "head work and commitment" of officers and staff.

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