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| PCC Ann Barnes to quiz Kent police chief on figures | PCC Ann Barnes to quiz Kent police chief on figures |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Kent's police chief is facing questions from the police and crime commissioner (PCC) after a report found one in 10 crimes had been inaccurately recorded. | Kent's police chief is facing questions from the police and crime commissioner (PCC) after a report found one in 10 crimes had been inaccurately recorded. |
| Chief Constable Ian Learmonth said the force was taking the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) extremely seriously. | |
| PCC Ann Barnes has expressed her "anger and utter dismay for victims" and is currently holding a public meeting. | PCC Ann Barnes has expressed her "anger and utter dismay for victims" and is currently holding a public meeting. |
| The report found an "institutional bias" towards chasing crime targets. | The report found an "institutional bias" towards chasing crime targets. |
| It found 25% of crimes recorded as "no-crimes" were wrongly classified, among them rapes and robberies. | It found 25% of crimes recorded as "no-crimes" were wrongly classified, among them rapes and robberies. |
| 'Performance culture' | |
| The meeting, which is taking place at Kent Police headquarters, Maidstone, heard how there had been a historic culture of chasing targets, and a tendency of officers to want to "paint the force in the best light". | |
| Ms Barnes asked Zoe Billingham of the HMIC if the public could now be confident the "right performance culture" was now in place following the critical report. | |
| Ms Billingham replied: "I think it is too early for me to say. | |
| "The chief constable has given very clear messages from the top about the type of organisation he expects to lead. | |
| "We need to, as an inspectorate, to stand back now and see if that actually happens and that's why we are going to come back in December." | |
| 'Actually' attend crime | |
| Chief Constable Learmonth told Ms Barnes the force would acknowledge all the recommendations in the report, and look at its processes and procedures. | |
| He said while there was a subjective element about recording crime, the force needed to do "some work" around its processes to make sure it got them right | |
| Questioned about the implications that victims were not getting the service they deserved, he said: "We do have a very focused view on dealing with victims in this county. | |
| "We are one of very few forces who send an officer to every crime. If there's any indication there could be a crime, an officer will attend every crime." | |
| He added: "We are not making these decisions on the back of a phone call. We are actually going there." |