GMP battles backlog of domestic abuse cases
MORE THAN 10,000 INCIDENTS OUTSTANDING AFTER COMPUTER GLITCHES
GREATER Manchester Police is still struggling to work through a backlog of domestic abuse incidents caused by the introduction of the controversial iOPS computer system.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary told the force earlier this year that issues with the IT system had potentially exposed hundreds of vulnerable people to ‘potential risk of harm.’
More than a third of the 35,107 domestic abuse incidents recorded between the launch of iOPS, in July, and October last year required a ‘more in-depth review,’ according to GMP. The force has revisited a quarter of these incidents so far, meaning just more than 10,000 cases are still outstanding. A report to Greater
Manchester’s police and crime panel shows that 96 per cent of the cases that have been reviewed comply with national crime recording standards.
The region’s deputy mayor Baroness Beverley Hughes, who oversees policing, told the panel that work had been ‘proceeding at pace’ before the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’d already done the child protection cases but it has slowed somewhat because of the situation we’re in,” she said. “It is a high priority that we finish that and the work so far reveals a high level of compliance, so we’re confident there is not a lot of risk in what’s left there.”
The meeting also heard that confidence in the system is high despite several whistleblowers flagging concerns with iOPs since it was rolled out. Despite this, panel member Coun Mike Freeman, who used to work at GMP, said: “Clearly there’s been improvements but there is still some lack of confidence by staff in the new system.”
Ms Hughes admitted that the introduction of iOPs had been ‘a journey’ for GMP but said: “We are seeing increased satisfaction amongst staff, and I am confident that the potential of this system is already being realised.” A separate report to the panel revealed that crime recorded in Greater Manchester has fallen by 8pc stretching back to the launch of iOPS. There were nearly 28,000 fewer crimes in 2019, with the biggest reduction reported in cases of domestic abuse and robbery. In total, GMP recorded 306,663 total crimes last year compared to 334,544 in 2018.