A British regulatory body has exposed several weaknesses at Thames Valley Police, particularly regarding domestic violence cases.
Although reviewers recognised progress since their previous examination of the force, they highlighted reservations about the way the force handles criminal enquiries and assists vulnerable individuals.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher OBE QFSM stated that there remain aspects where Thames Valley Police must enhance its performance, and his department will keep watching its advancement.
He noted that improvements have been observed and expressed confidence that the force would build upon the substantial developments noted in certain areas during this assessment.
Compiled by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the findings – published on Wednesday, July 8 – evaluated the multi-county force across eight policing domains, using ratings of outstanding, good, adequate, requires improvement or inadequate.
Thames Valley Police was informed it requires improvement in leadership and force management, investigating crime and safeguarding children and adults.
Mr Wilsher observed that he has worries about how the force is handling criminal investigations and supporting those in vulnerable situations.
He explained that the force ought to enhance its protection measures and its capability to advance crime investigations to guarantee that victims obtain the service they are entitled to.
Its approach to domestic abuse was specifically mentioned, with inspectors requiring police to enhance procedures for identifying and protecting high-risk victims.
Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington
Despite possessing a high-risk definition and risk assessment tool, the force has apparently been assigning lower risk levels to high-risk domestic abuse situations than warranted.
The document noted that this signifies numerous cases that ought to have been classified as high risk either stayed at or were reduced to medium risk.
This can result in victims being denied both the investigative expertise of a qualified detective and enhanced protection assistance.
Furthermore, the police’s response times for non-urgent calls, particularly those involving domestic abuse, were criticised, despite spending on the police’s control room and inventive artificial intelligence implementation.
Its approach to fraud cases was also not considered satisfactory.
Mr Wilsher clarified that the dedicated fraud investigators lack sufficient resources to examine all fraud matters.
As a result, the force handles demand by concluding some investigations prematurely and by assigning some fraud cases to teams without proper training.
Conversely, it received a good rating for developing a diverse and inclusive workforce and for preventing and deterring crime.
The inspection noted that although Thames Valley Police received £825 million in total funding for the year ending March 31, 2025, which falls within the normal range, it did encounter considerable difficulties.
These include high-profile state visits to Windsor Castle, such as US President Donald Trump’s scheduled for September 2025, and geographic and political challenges given that its jurisdiction covers nine local authorities.
Despite considerable resource demands, from prominent state visits to Windsor Castle, neighbourhood policing teams perform well in preventing crime and addressing antisocial behaviour, and the force is effective at looking after the welfare of its staff.
It received neither an outstanding nor an inadequate rating in any category.