GMP praised for coming out of special measures in 22 months

Date published: 01 November 2022

Greater Manchester Police has been taken out of special measures after only twenty-two months – the shortest time this has been achieved.

The Chief Inspector of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) has outlined his assessment of the progress GMP has made in addressing the concerns raised by HMICFRS in 2020 and PEEL Report of March this year and confirmed that GMP has made improvements.

Improvements made include responding appropriately to the public and vulnerable people, including answering calls more quickly; better understanding its performance and the capability and capacity of its workforce, and providing better support for officers and staff; halving the number of open investigations, giving officers more time to focus on bringing offenders to justice; and more accurately recording crime.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said:“I am pleased with the progress that Greater Manchester Police has made so far. Whilst there is still more to do, I have decided to remove the force from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, and return it to routine monitoring.

“I am reassured by the plans Greater Manchester Police has in place to continue making improvements. The force will be inspected again during 2023, when we will assess its progress to make sure the people of Manchester are getting the service they deserve from their police force.”

GMP went into special measures in December 2020 following significant concerns raised in HMICFRS’s Victim Service Assessment – in particular, that 80,000 crimes had gone unreported – which resulted in the mayor asking Chief Constable Ian Hopkins to step down from his post.
 

Read more: Chief Constable of GMP resigns after force is placed in 'special measures' by inspectoratePublished: 18 December 2020

The mayor of Greater Manchester subsequently appointed Stephen Watson as the new chief constable who came with a track record of taking South Yorkshire Police Force out of special measures in three years and turning it into the top-performing police force in the country. There was specific focus in transforming organisational culture and getting GMP back to the fundamentals of policing.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson has thanked officers and staff for their continued professionalism, dedication, and faith in the plan he originally set out back in June 2021 to improve the force. He credited their steadfast commitment to the force coming out of special measures in less than two years, making the force one of the most improved forces in the country.

As recently as June this year, GMP reported advancement in all areas highlighted as causes for concern by HMICFRS, and in particular the areas in which the public would more immediately see and feel progress.
 

Read more: Improvements made to GMP over Chief Constable Watson's first year in positionPublished: 28 July 2022

Back in June 2021, 999 answer times were averaging at 1 minute 22 seconds, and non-emergency answer time was 6 minutes 44 seconds. Thanks to new leadership, better use of technology, continued investment in force contact centre teams, and the hardworking call handlers answering calls and enquiries from the public 24 hours a day, 999 average speed of answer is now just 7 seconds.

In terms of national performance, GMP is now in the top ten of force performance for 999 answer times, and 8th nationally in terms of percentage of calls answered in under 10 seconds. This performance is the best of any large metropolitan force. Non-emergency call average answer times are now at 1 min 4 seconds down from last summer’s peak at 6 mins 44 seconds.

The force also provides an update on response times, which continue to be under the national target. 999 incidents (grade 1 calls) have improved to an average of 10 min 19 seconds, which is well within the 15 minute target and down from a peak of 13 mins 35 seconds.

Sustained improvement has also been made to Grade 2 attendance, which back in August 2021 saw response times at 28 hrs 45 min. The average time to attend a Grade 2 is now at 2 hrs 13 mins.

HMICFRS have adjudged GMP to be compliant with national crime recording standards and has also rescinded this element of the cause for concern. As a result of a renewed focus on compliance and crime recording practices, GMP is recording around 30,500 crimes per month on average.

The Chief Constable committed to doubling the number of arrests and the numbers show they are the highest they have been in two years at 4,872 arrests as of September 2022, a significant increase of 60% from September 2021. Arrests continue to grow month on month and the force is on track to record the highest number of arrests since 2015/16.

During the 12 months to the end of September 2022, 23,483 investigations resulted in a charge or summons, an increase of 42%.

Stop and Search is also being better utilised, with 2,528 people being stop-searched in September 2022, a 275% increase on the year before, with 2,093 resulting in an arrest. This is a 101% increase on the previous year and complaints have reduced by 29%. The force has also solved 1,475 burglaries in the last 12 months, which is an increase of 88% on the previous year.

 

 

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “Our route into ‘Special Measures’ has been thoroughly analysed and much discussed. There are several reasons as to how we came to bear our recent travails, a failure of leadership principle amongst them. As I have stated repeatedly however, the fundamental failing was simply that we stopped doing the basics well, we stopped being the police and we stopped doing many of the things that our public have every right to expect.

“I have however, from the very point of assuming command of the force last summer, been given ample evidence to assert that our recent difficulties do not bear a true reflection of the commitment, professionalism and courage that are so abundantly to be found amongst the officers and staff of GMP.

“These qualities have come very powerfully to the fore in working to deliver our plan with precision and vigour. The coherence of the plan, the establishment of capable leadership at all levels and the development of effective ways to ensure that the whole force pulls together, have all played a part. Fundamentally however, our progress speaks to the determination, enthusiasm, and hard work of our staff.

“HMIC has, quite rightly, subjected the force to a tough process and have set the bar deliberately high. That our staff are succeeding so tangibly is something of which we can all be proud. The momentum being created reflects our status as the most improved force in the country and gives confidence as to sustainability.

“Nothing in these welcome developments implies any complacency on our part. We fully recognise that much remains to improve still further. It does however represent a tangible and substantial step on our journey toward that to which we all aspire to be the finest force in our country.

“The support from the public and our agency partners is very valuable and much appreciated. I thank our communities across Greater Manchester for keeping faith with GMP and I am confident that you too will recognise the fact that our recent difficulties are being put behind us with increasing pace and certainty. I look forward to sustaining GMP’s march forward and for us to continue to make our region a safer place to live, work and visit.”

 

 

Mayor Andy Burnham said: “This is a good day for GMP – a day when officers and staff can have renewed confidence and pride in the badge.

“I want to thank the Chief Inspector, Andy Cooke, and HMICFRS for their support over the last two years to get us to this stage.

“Back in December 2020, when GMP was put in special measures, there was poor leadership and poor culture. This was not the result of the thousands of decent people working day in and day out; it was the leadership.

“The main cause of the change in GMP is the outstanding leadership of Chief Constable Stephen Watson who has presided over the quickest turnaround of a police force and it’s also the most improved police force in the country.

“I also made the decision to increase the police precept to fund vital improvements in GMP, after years of central government cuts to their budgets, resulting in the loss of 2,000 GMP officers.

“GMP is a different police force today to what it was in 2020. The public in Greater Manchester should have confidence in GMP.”

 

 

Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Hughes said of today’s news: “I want to thank and congratulate everyone in GMP for their determination in working together to make the improvements needed to be released from special measures and to become the service the public can have confidence in. This has been a massive team effort right across GMP and at every level.

“Under Chief Constable Stephen Watson’s leadership, GMP has seen significant improvements across the board, including to 999 answer times – one of the best in the country - improved attendance at Grade 2 incidents, arresting more criminals, more investigations resulting in charges, solving more burglaries and recording more crime than ever.

“At the same time, GMP has also continued to address difficult issues from the past by tackling historical child sexual exploitation through Operation Green Jacket in Manchester and Operation Sherwood in Oldham to bring perpetrators to justice. The mayor and I are determined to improve the outcomes for victims which is why we have supported GMP with the necessary funding to set up a dedicated force-wide CSE unit of over 100 officers.

“These achievements in a relatively short space of time show what can be done with the right leadership, the right strategic priorities and an inclusive organisational culture that puts victims first. It vindicates the difficult decision we took in changing the leadership of GMP.

“This is an important milestone on the journey towards excellence and I will support the chief constable in making GMP one of the best police services in the country.”