The performance level of every police force in England and Wales

29 of the 43 forces are at Level One, the default position.

What it means

Level One is where a force needs no formal intervention from the performance system. There may be minor, managed concerns, but the force is making progress and handles any areas for improvement locally. Forces at this level are not routinely contacted by the College of Policing or the Home Office, though they can ask for support if they want it.

Level One is the default position for all forces. We may have minor, mitigated concerns about a force's performance, but it is making progress and continuous improvements. No formal intervention is required from the performance system. The force locally manages any areas for improvement issued during our inspections or specific areas of the performance framework it isn't currently meeting. We encourage forces to use the College of Policing's performance support toolkit and to share good practice with other forces. The College of Policing and the Home Office won't routinely contact Level One forces to offer support, but forces can request it if needed.

13 of the 43 forces are at Level Two, with early or low-level concerns.

What it means

Level Two covers forces where HMICFRS has early or low-level concerns: several minor issues, or risks that could worsen if they are not addressed. The aim is to help forces act early, before problems escalate. A force at this level is encouraged to run a root cause analysis and put a performance improvement plan in place. The 13 forces here include the Metropolitan Police, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and Surrey.

The forces on this band tend to carry weaker inspection results, so this list reads across to their PEEL grades by area.

We will assign a force to Level Two if we have early or low-level concerns about its performance. These may be multiple minor issues, concerns that require monitoring and risks that could worsen if not addressed. The aim is to support forces to act and respond early and prevent issues from escalating. We strongly encourage forces to be proactive, such as completing a root cause analysis, developing a performance improvement plan, and using the performance support toolkit. Forces can also access additional support from stakeholders across the policing sector.

Lincolnshire Police is the only force at Level Three.

What it means

Level Three is for more serious or systemic performance issues: critical or enduring problems, or a lack of sustained progress. A force here faces closer oversight, a formal performance improvement plan, support from subject matter experts, and attendance at monitoring meetings. Lincolnshire is the single force placed at this level.

It also holds the weakest inspection profile in the country, with an inadequate grade for leadership and for several other areas. You can see those in full on its PEEL grades by area.

We will assign a force to Level Three if we identify more serious or systemic performance issues. These may be critical or enduring problems, widespread concerns or a lack of sustained progress. The aim is to help the force achieve sustained and measurable improvement. We expect forces to complete a root cause analysis, develop a formal performance improvement plan, request support from subject matter experts, and attend Policing Performance Monitoring Group meetings as requested. Forces are subject to more oversight at this level and will receive additional support. They may also have priority access to specialist support.

No force is currently at Level Four, special measures.

What it means

Level Four is the highest tier, for critical failings where HMICFRS is not confident a force is improving. On top of everything expected at Level Three, a force may face statutory or government intervention. It is the successor to the old special measures label. No force sits at Level Four under the current published levels.

One point worth clearing up: in a policing sense, special measures now means Level Four, a support tier for a force. It is not the same as the special measures used to help witnesses give evidence in court.

We will assign a force to Level Four (Special Measures) if we identify critical performance failings and we aren't confident that it is making improvements. In addition to the actions required in Level Three, forces must act on our recommendations and may be subject to additional statutory or government intervention. Forces receive the highest level of support but are also subject to heightened oversight and accountability.