South Wales Police, which covers Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Swansea, and Neath Port Talbot, was assessed as “requiring improvement” in a major inspection carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
The judgment came as part of the PEEL 2025-27 assessment, which reviewed the force across eight key areas.
South Wales Police was found to be adequate in leadership and force management, workforce development, crime prevention, and safeguarding vulnerable people.
However, it was told to improve in responding to the public, investigating crime, using police powers fairly, and managing fraud.
Kathryn Stone, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: “Since our last inspection, the force hasn’t made the expected improvements in how it responds to calls from the public or investigates crime.
“The force also isn’t as effective at using police powers fairly and appropriately, or at preventing and deterring crime, compared to the previous inspection.”
Inspectors highlighted that while the force answers emergency calls more quickly than in previous years, officers are still taking too long to attend some incidents, particularly those involving domestic abuse.
During the year ending March 2026, the median response time for grade two domestic abuse incidents was one hour and 51 minutes, compared to the target of one hour.
Inspectors also found weaknesses in how risks are assessed during initial contact and noted that callers are not always given appropriate advice on safeguarding, crime prevention, and evidence preservation.
Despite the criticism, HMICFRS recognised several strengths within the force.
The report praised South Wales Police’s leadership, governance arrangements, and focus on protecting vulnerable people.
It also highlighted the Lighthouse initiative, which aims to address unhealthy workplace cultures and misogyny.
Senior leaders were commended for prioritising safeguarding, increasing the use of preventative orders, and clearly linking funding to operational priorities.
The force was also noted for adopting innovative approaches to workforce planning and technology.
However, the report raised concerns about the quality of investigations, stating that improvements introduced since the last inspection had not yet led to better outcomes.
It found that supervision was inconsistent and that some investigative opportunities were being missed.
HMICFRS also said the force needed to improve its oversight of stop and search, use of force, and the recording of incidents involving children and vulnerable people.
Ms Stone said she was confident that South Wales Police could address the issues raised.
She said: “South Wales Police will respond positively to our findings.
“It has the leadership, governance and processes it needs to make the required improvements, and these must now translate into effective practice.
“I will continue to monitor the force’s performance.”
The PEEL assessment is part of HMICFRS’s ongoing review of police effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy across forces in England and Wales.
Responding to the report, Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said South Wales Police welcomed scrutiny and was already working to address many of the issues identified by inspectors.
He said: “This report provides one of several important independent assessments of our performance. We welcome the scrutiny and are committed to responding to the feedback.”
Chief Constable Vaughan said residents of South Wales were “less likely to be a victim of crime and more likely to have your crime detected than many other parts of the UK”, highlighting the force’s performance on offences including burglary, robbery, shoplifting, serious sexual offences and violent crime.
He added: “We have not waited for the publication of the inspection findings to act. Many of the areas highlighted by HMICFRS already form part of our Delivery Plan; we are working hard to strengthen performance, improve consistency and deliver better outcomes for the communities we serve.”
The chief constable also pointed to other recent inspections, including HMICFRS assessments of serious and organised crime and child protection, which rated the force as good.
Concluding his response, he said: “Our communities quite rightly have high expectations of us, so it’s important we use the findings as a basis to drive further improvements to the service we provide.
“Our focus now is on delivering these improvements, building on the progress already made and ensuring the people of South Wales receive the high standard of service they deserve.”
