DYFED-POWYS Police chiefs are celebrating after the force was rated ‘good’ for the first time in an independent assessment of the way it treats the public.

The latest assessment by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) judged that Dyfed-Powys Police is ‘good’ at treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect and is ‘good’ at how it ensures its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully.

It was rated as ‘requiring improvement’ on treating its workforce with fairness and respect.

In 2015 and 2016 Dyfed-Powys Police was graded as ‘requires improvement’, with ‘no recognised improvement’ in those two years.

HMICFRS gradings are inadequate, requires improvement, good, and outstanding.

The four grades are applied annually individually against separate assessments of efficiency, legitimacy, and effectiveness.

The effectiveness report will be published early next year.

Deputy Chief Constable Darren Davies said the report shows “substantial evidence of the progress the force is making”.

“This is the fourth year of the PEEL inspection process, and we are delighted that for the first time Dyfed-Powys has achieved a ‘good’ grading in ‘legitimacy’ since the inception of the process,” he said.

“This inspection took place in June, barely six months since the new command team had been in place, and has recognised the progress being made, supported by a dedicated workforce and a police and crime commissioner whose direction for the future and ethos is closely aligned with that of the chief officers.

“HMICFRS has recognised the significant progress that has been made against both inspection areas in the last 12 months. We are confident that when the third strand of the PEEL reports on ‘effectiveness’ is published in 2018, this will bring yet further evidence of progress."

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