His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since July 2017 the fire and rescue services of England. HMICFRS is headed by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services. It has taken over the responsibilities of His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate. The Inspectorate is one of 5 inspectorates of the criminal justice system of England and Wales. The others are His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation, and the Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorate. Inspections may also be made, by invitation only, and on a non-statutory basis, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other organisations with policing responsibility. England and Wales In England and Wales, HMICFRS is responsible to the UK Parliament. The first inspectors were appointed under the County and Borough Police Act 1856; current statutory functions are contained in the Police Act 1996 and related legislation. However, the body's principal statutory functions are unchanged since its establishment in 1856, namely to assess and report on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces in England and Wales. In July 2017, its remit was expanded to include responsibility to assess and report on the efficiency, effectiveness and leadership of the 45 Fire & Rescue services in England. The inspectorate is also paid by other departments to report on the activities of non-Home Office bodies involved in law enforcement, such as the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Crime Agency, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and some overseas police forces. Reporting has also been performed on a voluntary basis for the Special Investigation Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police. It also receives funding from the Treasury for its work on HMRC. As a public authority, decisions and actions of HMICFRS are susceptible to judicial review. Personnel Michelle Skeer became interim HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and HM Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services in April 2026. The process to select a permanent chief inspector is ongoing. Skeer was the Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary prior to joining HMICFRS in 2023. Her predecessor was Andy Cooke, former chief constable of Merseyside Police, who was in office from April 2022 to March 2026. Before Cooke the chief inspector was the lawyer and former rail regulator Tom Winsor, who took office on 1 October 2012 as the first chief inspector to be appointed from outside the police service. In addition to the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, there are three Inspectors of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services: Lee Freeman, former chief constable of Humberside Police; Kathryn Stone, former chair of the Bar Standards Board and before that Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards; Roy Wilsher, former chief fire officer in Hertfordshire. Appointments follow the Code of Practice of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Northern Ireland Inspections of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have been made in recent years by invitation, on a non-statutory basis. The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 allows HMIC to perform inspection and assessment of services or projects by direction of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. At the request of the chief constable of the PSNI, in 2013 the inspectorate published a report into Northern Ireland's Historical Enquiries Team. List of chief inspectors Inspectors of Constabulary for England and Wales from 1856: Captain Francis J. Parry, to 1900 Captain Herbert D. Terry, from 1900 The first chief inspector was appointed in 1962. Sir William Johnson, 1962–1963 Sir Edward Dodd, 1963–1966 Colonel Sir Eric St Johnston, 1967–1970 Sir John McKay, 1970–1972 Sir John Hill, 1972–1975 Sir James Haughton, 1976–1977 Sir Colin Woods, 1977–1979 Sir James Crane, 1979–1982 Sir Lawrence Byford, 1983–1987 Sir Richard Barrett, 1987–1990 Sir John Woodcock, 1990–1993 Sir Trefor Morris, 1993–1996 Sir David O'Dowd, 1996–2001 Sir Keith Povey 2002–2005 Sir Ronnie Flanagan, 2005–2009 Sir Denis O'Connor, 2009–2012 Sir Thomas Winsor, 2012–2022 Sir Andy Cooke, 2022–March 2026 Michelle Skeer, April 2026–present In July 2017, the role became Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services. The incumbent is Michelle Skeer, who was appointed in April 2026. 2021 protest report In March 2021, HMICFRS published a report that endorsed a proposed clampdown on protests. In response to the report, a whistleblower alleged that its authors had reached conclusions favouring the government's view prior to gathering and assessing evidence, in breach of the civil service code. See also His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland References The history of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary: The first 150 years, 1856 to 2006 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2023. External links Official website