Greater Manchester police (GMP) continue to investigate crime poorly and take too long to answer both 999 and non-emergency calls, according to an inspection report.
Fourteen months after placing GMP into special measures, inspectors from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) say the force still “doesn’t investigate crimes effectively, so some offenders escape justice and victims don’t get the service they deserve”.
Only 8.5% of crimes recorded in Greater Manchester in the year ending 31 March 2021 resulted in action being taken, compared with the average of 14.4% in England and Wales. Only West Midlands police fare worse.
The force needs to improve how it records crimes against vulnerable victims, HMIC said, noting some serious crimes, such as threats to kill, distribution of indecent images and child neglect, were missed.
Part of the problem is personnel. The force does not yet have sufficient capacity and capability in its investigation teams to meet demand, HMIC’s “police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy” (PEEL) inspection found.
Despite “significant improvement” in how it records crime, which means the force is now properly recording “a substantial majority” of the crimes reported by the public, it still needs to improve the way it manages initial calls so that vulnerable people are identified when crimes and incidents are reported, the HMIC report says.
Delays in response can be “considerable”, resulting in officers arriving too late to secure evidence at a crime scene, inspectors found.
“Victims aren’t updated about delays and their expectations aren’t met, which may cause victims to lose confidence and disengage. By failing to attend calls in an appropriate time frame, victims may be put at risk and evidence potentially can be lost,” the report says.
Imploring GMP to “get better” at investigating reported crimes, inspectors found that some investigations “lack a structured plan and appropriate supervision to help the investigation follow lines of enquiry in a timely and proportionate way”.
In addition, the force must improve how it is building, developing and looking after its workforce.
“In too many areas it doesn’t proactively maintain or promote the wellbeing of its staff. Workload is high and the force regularly uses overtime to manage demand. This means its workforce is potentially fatigued, adversely affecting the work-life balance of staff,” the report says.
GMP’s deputy chief constable, Terry Woods, insisted the force had improved significantly since HMIC inspectors visited in September. Response times to the most serious incidents (grade 1) has reduced from 21 minutes to an average of 17 minutes, he said, adding: “Whilst this is still above our overall target of 15 minutes, we are already seeing five of our districts reduce their response times below this.”
Waiting times have already come down significantly, Woods said. The average time for 999 calls to be answered is about 25 seconds, half of what it was last July, though below force targets. It now takes three minutes 47 seconds to answer an average 101 call, down from eight minutes in July.
“Whilst the HMIC PEEL review quite fairly portrays the position we were in six months ago, I am confident that we are already in a much-improved position and the changes we are making are having a positive and sustainable impact,” said Woods.
When he took over as chief constable last May, Stephen Watson vowed to quit if GMP was not in a “demonstrably better place” within two years. Introducing the PEEL report, Andy Cooke, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said Watson “is aware of the inefficiencies in the organisational management, which have resulted in the workforce being unable to meet demand”.
Cooke added: “The challenges facing Greater Manchester police shouldn’t be underestimated, but I am optimistic that the trajectory and pace of improvement will continue this year.”
