Poor police performance

Date published: 17/10/2007

Police performance is back in the spotlight when it tops the agenda at the next meeting of force watchdogs.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) recently hit the headlines when its Home Office performance grades placed it second bottom in the country, scoring just seven points in its assessment, with only two other forces having the same or lower scores.

Current police performance and GMP’s grades will be discussed at the Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA) meeting on Friday 19 October.

Paul Murphy, GMPA chairman, said: "Any reduction in performance is unacceptable. It is important that members of the public know that we as an authority hold this view and are committed to addressing all performance issues."

Progress has already been made by GMPA and GMP in addressing some of the issues highlighted in the Government report, which is based on data more than six months old.

For example, recommendations to make the police stop and search process as effective and fair as possible will be made at the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday.

In addition, the latest crime figures, covering the first six months of the current financial year, show total crime is down 8.4 per cent and domestic burglary is down 14.9 per cent.

Councillor Murphy said: "It’s reassuring to see improvements are continually being made but we cannot afford to be complacent.

"We have many challenges to overcome in the coming months and we have an extremely skilled and dedicated police force to work on them with us. I am confident by working together we will make a difference."

Other examples of improvements include schemes to ensure custody facilities are being managed effectively and projects to ensure police officers and members of the community have access to fit-for-the-purpose police buildings.

Recent Home Office assessments ranked Greater Manchester’s efficiency savings as excellent.