GMP 'good' overall but 'requires improvement' for protecting the vulnerable and supporting victims

GMP

Greater Manchester Police has been rated ‘good’ overall at keeping people safe and reducing crime, in the HMIC Effectiveness report, and  work to tackle serious and organised crime groups has been rated as outstanding, but judged as requiring improvement for protecting the vulnerable and supporting victims. 

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said: “It is pleasing to receive another good rating from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in the latest inspection. The Effectiveness Report published today highlights some of the achievements and positive work taking place within GMP.

“Policing Greater Manchester is challenging as we have already saved £183m and have another £44m to save by March 2020 which will leave us with 2,000 fewer police officers. We have an ambitious change programme underway that is ensuring we continue to provide the best possible service to local people.

“Neighbourhood policing remains at the heart of what we do and this is highlighted by the inspectors who say people can have confidence that officers are spending time on this vital work. Our commitment to working closely with partners in integrated teams will build on this.

“The report recognises the significant effort we put in to tackling serious and organised crime which is rated as outstanding. We have a strong partnership approach to tackling the problem through Challenger that has been nationally recognised. We are building our capability to tackle cybercrime and modern slavery but these are complex and difficult investigations.

“While the inspection did recognise GMP effectively identified at an early stage those who may be vulnerable and that generally investigations are of a high standard, it is not acceptable that in some cases vulnerable people may have had lengthy waits for police assistance. A review of how investigations and safeguarding issues are dealt with is already underway as part of the programme to transform policing.

“There is still work to do to ensure our ambitious plans for policing bring the continued good service within the financial constraints. We are already improving standards of investigation and how cases are supervised through training.

“We are proud of our contribution to keeping Greater Manchester safe but it would not be possible without the hard work of officers and staff and the continued support of local people.”

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “Once again GMP has been judged to be ‘good’ overall at keeping people safe and reducing crime. This is good news for the communities of Greater Manchester and is testament to the hard work of police officers and staff who remain committed to keeping our streets and homes safe.

“Nationally, HMIC warns that neighbourhood policing is being eroded with police forces struggling to cope with increased demand. The blame for this lies squarely on the shoulders of ministers who have ignored stark warnings from police leaders, including myself, and continued to cut away at local policing leaving Greater Manchester with a £180m budget hole and 2,000 fewer officers. The government can no longer be ignorant to the very real challenges facing policing. Inevitably, in Greater Manchester and elsewhere, these cuts have an impact on what police forces can do.

“However, this report does highlight some areas of concern which I will be working with the Chief Constable to address. I’m disappointed that GMP has been judged as requiring improvement for protecting the vulnerable and supporting victims – a downgrading from last year’s good rating. While it’s clear that protecting vulnerable people is a priority, with GMP’s strong partnership working with councils, NHS and other agencies, and the voluntary sector recognised by HMIC, it’s unacceptable that vulnerable people are waiting too long for police attendance, potentially putting them at further risk.

“I’m pleased to see the work to tackle serious and organised crime groups has been rated as outstanding by the inspectorate. Loosening the grip of organised crime groups on our communities has been a huge challenge, but through the ground-breaking work of Programme Challenger - Greater Manchester’s multi-agency initiative to target gang activity – organised crime groups have been dismantled and criminals put behind bars.”