Our Work: HMIC
Our Role
For well over a century HM Inspectors of Constabulary (HMIs) have been charged with examining and improving the efficiency of the Police Service in England and Wales.
The first HMIs were appointed under the provisions of the County and Borough Police Act 1856. In 1962, the Royal Commission on the Police (Final Report, Cmnd. 1728) formally acknowledged their contribution to policing. The statutory duties of HMIs are described in the Police Act 1996.
In addition, the Home Secretary lays before Parliament a clear statement of the duties and responsibilities which the Inspectorate is expected to fulfill.
HM Inspectors of Constabulary are appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Secretary of State and, until recently, selection was made exclusively from the ranks of the most senior officers serving in the provincial forces and the Metropolitan Police. In October 1993, and in accordance with the Citizen's Charter principle that Inspectorates should include a "lay element", two HMIs were appointed from non-police backgrounds. This development underlined the Inspectorate's commitment to objectivity, independence and openness. It also broadened and enhanced its professional base by introducing top management experience from commercial and industrial organisations. This has since been taken forward with the appointment of two HMIs from non-police backgrounds (one specialising in police training) and an Assistant Inspector for Community and Race Relations.
More generally, the work of the Inspectorate reinforces the principles of public service set out in the Citizen's Charter.
