Greater Manchester Police is one of five forces which remain in special measures, say government inspectors. It is amongst a list published today of forces which have been escalated to an "enhanced level of monitoring" known as Engage.
Greater Manchester Police was placed in special measures in December 2020 after a watchdog report revealed an estimated 80,000 crimes had not been properly recorded. The scandal cost the then chief constable Ian Hopkins his job. The force is said to be improving although it remains in special measures.
The other five four forces are Cleveland Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, the UK's largest police force, The Metropolitan Police, Staffordshire Police, and Wilshire Police. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services issued the full list today.
GMP has been the subject of several critical reports over the last few years. In 2016, HMIC carried out a crime data integrity (CDI) inspection and found that the force was not always recording reported violent crimes, sexual offences and crimes reported to its public protection investigation units (PPIUs). This meant that too often the force was failing victims of crime.
In 2018 it carried out a CDI re-inspection to review the progress made since 2016. The force was found to have made several improvements, but further improvement was still required to close gaps identified in the service to vulnerable victims of crime. In particular, the force still had work to do to improve its identification and recording of all reports of crime which are domestic-abuse related and recording of rape crimes reported to the force.
In 2019 HMIC inspected the force’s effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. It expressed concern that the force was still failing to respond appropriately to some people who are vulnerable and at risk, missing some opportunities to safeguard victims and secure evidence at the scene. So victims were being put at risk.
GMP was placed in special measures in December 2020. At the time HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham said: “Victims of crime are too often being let down by Greater Manchester Police. The service provided to victims, particularly those who are most vulnerable, is a serious cause of concern. This is extremely disappointing given that HMICFRS has been urging Greater Manchester Police to improve in this area since 2016.
“Around one in five of all crimes reported by the public are not making it onto the books. The position is worse when it comes to recording violence against the person; more than a quarter of these crimes are not being recorded. Domestic abuse often lies behind these types of crimes of violence, meaning that the victims are especially vulnerable. Failure to record crimes potentially prevents victims from receiving the justice and support they need.
“The supervision of crime investigations by the police in Greater Manchester is also not good enough. I am deeply troubled about how frequently the force is closing cases without a full investigation, giving the reason that the victim did not support police action."
In March yet another assessment of GMP was published by inspectors, questioning the 'fatigued' force's ability to investigate crime and support victims. HMIC graded GMP's performance across nine areas of policing, following a visit in September 2021.
It found it to be 'inadequate' in three, 'requiring improvement' in five, and 'adequate' in just one area. The areas graded 'inadequate' included how the force investigates crime and how it responds to the public. Concerns were raised over some 'considerable' delays in responses to crime, and 'missed opportunities' to safeguard victims.
GMP declined to comment on today's HMIC list.
