The Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel met on Thursday 30 April 2026 to discuss responses to domestic abuse and domestic violence in Northamptonshire, and to review recruitment and retention efforts for Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service. The panel also reviewed its work programme and received an update on complaints and conduct matters.

Responses to Domestic Abuse and Domestic Violence in Northamptonshire

Vicky Martin, Director of Prevention for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC), provided an update on the ongoing efforts to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Northamptonshire. She highlighted that domestic abuse accounts for approximately 20% of all policing demand in the county, and that significant court backlogs are impacting the timely delivery of justice for victims.

The OPFCC's strategy is built around four key themes: intervening early to prevent violence, holding perpetrators to account, supporting victims and survivors, and building trust and confidence in services. Progress has been made in developing a six-year partnership insights profile on domestic abuse and in running a public awareness campaign focused on coercive and controlling behaviour. The Crime Prevention Team has also been active in enhancing women's safety in public spaces, with new help points installed in areas identified as feeling unsafe.

In terms of holding perpetrators to account, the report highlighted Project PIPA, a behaviour change programme for individuals issued with a conditional caution for lower-level domestic abuse, which has shown an 80.1% reduction in re-offending. The county will also be implementing the DRIVE programme, targeting high-risk offenders.

Support for victims and survivors is being provided through the Voice for Victims and Witnesses service, and Northamptonshire has been a pilot area for Raneem's Law, which aims to improve support for victims in emergency situations. The OPFCC is also investing in specialist sector support, including ethnic minority and children's domestic abuse support workers.

Building trust and confidence is being addressed through accountability processes with the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer. While some progress has been made in improving investigative standards for domestic abuse, the Commissioner has written to the Chief Constable expressing concerns about the force's understanding of consistently strong practice in responding to domestic abuse. The Fire and Rescue Service is contributing to the VAWG agenda through initiatives such as White Ribbon accreditation and the Women's Charter.

During the discussion, concerns were raised about the underreporting of domestic violence by men, and the need for campaigns to encourage male victims to come forward. Questions were also raised about the accuracy of arrest rate statistics and the total number of high-risk cases. The Commissioner acknowledged these points and committed to providing further detail. Councillor Whitlow raised concerns that the focus on violence against women and girls might exclude male victims, but the Commissioner clarified that all victims are supported, and the focus on VAWG is due to its classification as a national gendered epidemic.

Supporting and Holding to Account Recruitment and Retention by Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

Paul Fell, Director for Performance at the OPFCC, presented an overview of recruitment and retention efforts for Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service. He emphasised that robust recruitment and retention are essential for increasing the visibility of frontline officers and staff.

For Northamptonshire Police, the report highlighted the success of the revised Police Now scheme, which has brought in new recruits directly allocated to Neighbourhood Policing. The Force has also seen increased participation in its Post-Retirement Re-Joiner scheme, retaining experienced officers, and has achieved its best attrition rate since 2020/21.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) has brought recruitment activities in-house, leading to financial savings and closer monitoring of the application process. There are early signs of improved diversity in applicants, particularly in gender, with four female firefighters in the latest intake. Attrition for wholetime firefighters is at its lowest on record, although there is an increased number of leavers among on-call firefighters, a national concern. The Commissioner is considering how to make more effective use of retained staff to improve retention.

The report detailed the positive action strategy, which supports applicants from underrepresented groups. Analysis of applications for 2026 shows positive attraction levels for some underrepresented groups, including Asian, Black, Mixed, and Other Ethnicity applicants, and a higher proportion of lesbian, gay, and bisexual applicants. However, there is still work to be done to strengthen attraction from black communities and to improve female recruitment, particularly in the Fire and Rescue Service.

The Panel discussed the importance of setting clear expectations for potential recruits, given that a lack of understanding of the role's demands can lead to early attrition and negative narratives about the services. The Commissioner stressed that recruitment is based on merit and that the aim is to remove artificial barriers, not to set diversity targets.

Concerns were raised about the length of vetting processes, particularly for police staff, and the potential for this to deter applicants. The Commissioner acknowledged this as a challenge but stated that a higher bar for vetting is necessary, and investments have been made to improve timeliness.

Police, Fire and Crime Panel Work Programme

James Edmunds, Democratic Services Assistant Manager, presented the latest version of the Panel's work programme. The Panel endorsed the programme, subject to the addition of a report on the impact of serious drug-related crime, including knife crime, to be provided by the OPFCC in June 2026. The Panel also agreed to include a report on the outcomes of the independent review arising from the Court of Appeal judgement against Northamptonshire Police. Members noted that a significant amount of work had been undertaken during the civic year.

Complaints and Conduct Matters Update

James Edmunds provided an update on complaints and conduct matters relating to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner. During the period September 2025 to February 2026, three non-criminal complaints were considered by the Panel's Complaints Sub Committee. One complaint regarding the PFCC endorsing the accuracy of a vetting review was closed with no further action. A second complaint concerning a social media post made by the PFCC prior to her election resulted in a recommendation that the post be removed. A third complaint about the PFCC's handling of a complainant's concerns about Northamptonshire Police led to recommendations for the PFCC to review her office's complaints processes and assure herself that the complainant's concerns about the police had been dealt with appropriately. There were no other outstanding complaints or conduct matters at the time of the report.