Greater Manchester Police taken out of special measures

Greater Manchester Police has been removed from special measures after being deemed as ‘the most improved force in the country’.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson will be joined by Mayor Andy Burnham today to announce that the force has been removed by His Majesty’s Inspectorate from special measures and is no longer required to be in the Inspectorate’s engage monitoring process.

The Chief Constable 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.

HM’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke, said: “I am pleased with the progress that GMP 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.”

Chief Constable Stephen Watson added: “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, 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.”

GMP was placed under special measures in 2020 after it was found the force had failed to record 80,000 crimes.

Inspectors took the action after a damning report published in December that year found the force’s service to victims of crime was also a ‘serious cause of concern’.

When Stephen Watson joined the force as chief constable in May 2021 – replacing Ian Hopkins, who stepped down after being placed into special measures – he vowed to quit if it was not a ‘demonstrably better place’ within two years.